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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Division  Ju  W.K>.0  T"  1 
Section    ^..f^.^i5..l./C< 

Number V».  .  "fw 


AN 


AMERICAN  COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


NEW   TESTAMENT. 


EDITED  BY 

ALVAH  HOVEY,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


V 


PHILADELPHIA . 
AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


Epistle  to  the  Colossians. 


BY 

EDWIN  C.  DARGAN,  D.  D., 

Pastor  of  Citadel  Square  Baptist  Church,  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1890,  by  the 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST    PUBLICATION    SOCIETY, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 


I.  THE  AUTHOR. 


The  opening  words  of  the  Epistle  itself  declare  it  to  be  the  production  of  Paul,  the 
great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  Is  there  any  good  reason  to  doubt  this  claim  ?  None 
whatever  ;  as  will  appear  from  the  following  considerations  : 

1.  The  external  authority  is  ample  and  satisfactory.  Schaff,  in  his  "Church  His- 
tory" (latest  edition,  page  785),  says  :  "The  external  testimonies  are  unanimous  in  favor 
of  the  Pauline  authorship,  and  go  as  far  back  as  Justin  MartjT,  Polycarp,  Ignatius,  and 
the  heretical  Marcion."  Meyer  ("Einleitung,"  section  3)  puts  it  thus  :  "  The  external  testi- 
mony for  our  Epistle  is  so  ancient  and  continuous  and  universal  (Marcion  ;  Valentinus' 
School  ;  Irenasus,  "Adv.  Haeret."  3,  14,  1  and  5,  14,  2;  Muratorian  Canon  ;  Clement  of 
Alexandria,  "Strom."  I.  page-  277  ;  IV.  page  499  ;  V.  page  576  :  VI.  page  645  ;  Ter- 
tullian,  "  De  Praescrip.  Haeret."  7,  "  De  Res.sur. "  23  ;  Origen,  "  Cont.  Cels."  5,  8,  etc.) 
that  from  this  side  a  well-grounded  doubt  cannot  be  raised."  We  have  then  the  state- 
ment of  the  Epistle  itself  confirmed  by  the  unvarying  testimony  of  ancient  writers,  and 
the  unbroken  tradition  of  history  for  centuries.     This  ought  to  be  enough. 

2.  The  objections  from  internal  considerations  have  not  been  sustained.  It  is  surely 
a  daring  thing  to  challenge,  from  internal  considerations,  the  authorship  of  any  writing 
which  is  as  amply  sustained  as  this  is  by  external  evidence.  But  German  criticism,  what- 
ever else  may  be  said  of  it,  is  at  least  daring  ;  and  so  has  ventured  to  challenge  the  Paul- 
ine authorship  wholly  from  the  character,  contents,  and  style  of  the  Papistic  itself  These 
objections  have  been  elaborately  and  satisfiictorily  answered  by  Olshausen  and  Meyer  in 
their  Introduction  to  the  Epistle,  and  by  Farrar  in  his  "Life  and  Work  of  St.  Paul." 
(Chapter  XLVIII.)  It  is  hardly  worth  while  here  to  state  and  refute  these  objections. 
Those  who  feel  interested  may  consult  the  authorities  above  referred  to,  and  SchaflTs 
"  Church  History,"  Vol.  I,  page  782,  seq. 

3.  If  Paul  did  not  write  it,  who  did  ?  It  must  have  been  written  by  some  one. 
Negative  criticism  wrestles  in  vain  with  the  problem  that  itself  has  raised.  As  Farrar 
well  says  :  "  We  might  well  be  amazed  if  the  first  hundred  years  after  the  death  of  Christ 
produced  a  totally  unknown  writer  who,  assuming  the  name  of  Paul,  treats  the  mystery 
wiiich  it  was  given  him  to  reveal  with  a  masterly  power  which  the  apostle  himself  rarely 
equaled,  and  most  certainly  never  surpas.sed.  Let  any  one  study  the  remains  of  the 
Apostolic  Fathers,  and  he  may  well  be  surprised  at  the  facility  with  which  writers  of  the 
Tubingen  School,  and  their  successors,  a.ssume  the  existence  of  Pauls  who  lived  unheard 
of  and  died  unknown,  though  they  were  intellectually  and  spiritually  the  equals  if  not  the 
superiors  of  St.  Paul  himself?  " 

3 


4         INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 

II.  THE  RECIPIENTS. 

The  Epistle  is  addressed  "to  the  saints  and  faithful  brethren  in  Clirist  which  are  at 
Colosse. 

1.  The  town  of  Colosse  was  situated  on  the  river  L}'cus,  a  tributary  of  the  Maeander. 
Its  near  neighbors  were  Laodicea  and  HierapoHs,  some  twelve  miles  away.  Colosse  was 
never  so  large  or  wealthy  as  either  of  the  other  cities.  It  is  mentioned  by  Herodotus  as 
a  resting  place  for  Xerxes'  great  invading  host ;  and  by  Xenophon  in  his  account  of  the 
expedition  of  Cyrus  the  Younger.  Tliese  writers  speak  favorably  of  the  city.  But  later 
on  its  two  neighbors  overshadowed  it,  and  after  the  apostolic  age  it  fell  into  a  decline.  It 
was  visited  by  an  earthquake  probably  near  this  time,  and  that  catastrophe,  fiom  which 
its  neighbors  recovered,  may  have  facilitated  the  decline  of  the  least  important  of  the 
three.  Near  its  site,  in  the  Middle  Ages,  a  small  village  called  Chora3  existed  ;  but  the 
actual  ruins  of  Colosse  have  been  identified  only  within  recent  times. 

2.  The  church  at  Colosse  does  not  seem  to  have  been  founded  or  even  visited  by 
Paul.  We  infer  from  his  language  in  chapter  2:1,  that  he  did  not  personally  know  most 
of  the  members  either  there  or  at  Laodicea,  though  it  is  equally  evident  from  other  allu- 
sions that  he  knew  some  at  both  places.  It  appears  reasonable  to  conclude  from  his  lan- 
guage about  Epaphras  (1  :  7,  8  ;  4  :  12)  that  this  "fiiitiiful  minister"  was  the  probable 
founder  and  pastor  of  the  church.  It  may  also  not  unreasonably  be  conjectured  that  Epa- 
phras was  himself  a  convert  of  Paul,  and  that  the  churches  at  Colosse,  Laodicea,  and 
Hierapolis  were  the  outgrowth  of  the  apostle's  long  and  fruitful  labors  at  Ephesus,  the 
chief  city  of  all  this  region.  (See  Acts  19  :  10,  26.)  The  church  does  not  figure  largely 
in  sub-sequent  history,  though  its  neighbor  Laodicea  was  one  of  the  "Seven"  addressed 
in  Revelation.  The  Colossian  Cliurch  probably  declined  in  importance  with  the  town,  and 
was  the  least  important  of  all  the  churches  to  which  Paul  addressed  a  letter, 

III.  DATE  AND  PLACE. 

The  Epistle  was  evidently  written  during  a  captivity  of  the  apostle.  (See  Col.  4:10, 
1.3,  and  Philem.  1,  23.)  Which  captivity  was  it?  There  are  known  to  have  been  two  of 
these,  and  a  third  is  very  reasonably  supposed  ;  namely,  (1)  the  captivity  at  Cesarca 
under  Felix  and  Festus ;  (2)  the  captivity  at  Rome,  subsequent  to  the  voyage  and  extend- 
ing (Acts  28  :  30)  over  "  two  whole  years  ";  (3)  a  second  and  later  captivity  at  Rome  ter- 
minated by  his  death,  and  during  which  he  wrote  the  Pastoral  Epistles.  This,  though 
not  historically  established,  is  generally  accepted,  as  necessary  to  explain  certain  allusions 
in  the  later  letters.  No  one  holds  that  the  letter  to  Colosse  was  written  during  this  last 
confinement.  The  question  lies,  therefore,  between  the  captivity  at  Cesarea  and  the  first 
Roman  captivitj'.  Some  of  the  ablest  expositors,  even  Meyer,  maintain  that  the  letter 
was  written  from  Cesarea.  But  the  grounds  for  this  opinion  are  very  slender.  Tradition 
unanimously  designates  Rome,  and  the  allusions  in  Colossians  and  the  other  Epistles  of 
this  period  strongly  endorse  this  view.  The  case  is  well  stated  by  Farrar.  (Chapter 
XLVI.)  The  date,  of  course,  cannot  be  exactly  settled,  but  it  was  most  likely  about  the 
year  60. 

IV.  DESIGN. 

Although  not  known  by  face  to  the  Colossian  Church,  Paul  had  a  deep  interest  in 
them,  as  in  all  the  churches.    And  this  interest  was  evidently  intensified  by  the  coming  of 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.         5 

Epaphras  (1:7)  with  news  concerning  the  cliaracter  and  dangf^rs  of  the  Colossian  Church. 
It  has  also  been  suggested  that  Paul  had  learned  something  of  the  state  of  things  at  Co- 
losse  from  Onesinius,  the  escaped  slave  of  Philemon,  who  was  i)robably  a  member  of  the 
Colossian  Church.  From  these  sources,  then,  Paul  learned  of  a  dangerous  heres}',  or 
tendency  of  thought,  that  was  threatening  the  churches  of  this  region — Laodicea,  Hier- 
apolis,  and  Colo.sse.  He  sympathized  with  Epaphras  (1  :  9  ;  2  : 1  ;  4:12,  13)  in  his  deep 
concern  for  their  welfare,  especially  in  view  of  their  present  danger.  Moved  by  this  feel- 
ing, and  no  doubt  at  the  earnest  request  of  Epaphras,  he  writes  this  letter,  together  with 
one  to  Laodicea  (4  :  16),  to  refute  the  incipient  heresy  and  to  set  forth  the  truth  of  the 
gospel  over  against  these  threatening  errors. 

The  general  outlines  of  this  error  may  be  traced  in  the  allusions  of  the  Epistle  itself, 
its  more  particular  historical  and  philosopliic  affinities  from  what  is  known  of  certain  sects 
and  tendencies  of  the  time.  A  study  of  the  Epistle  shows  that  there  are  two  distinct  ele- 
ments of  error  which  the  apostle  combats  :  (1)  A  .Judaistic  tendency — a  regard  for  new 
moons  and  Sabbaths  and  holy  days  ;  and  (2)  a  Gnostic  tendency — a  would-be  philosophic 
speculation  about  the  unseen  world,  combined  with  ascetic  practices.  The  question  has 
been  raised,  whether  these  two  lines  of  error  were  held  by  one,  or  two  different  parties. 
But  it  seems  wholly  unnecessary  to  assume  the  existence  of  two  parties  of  errorists.  It 
is  better,  with  Meyer,  Lightfoot,  and  other  eminent  scholars,  to  hold  that  we  have  in  the 
views  combatted  by  Paul  a  combination  of  Judaic  and  Gnostic  elements.  For  it  is  impos- 
sible to  separate  clearly  the  lines  of  attack,  supposing  there  Avere  two  distinct  sets  of 
wrong  teachers.  After  warning  them  (in  2  :  8)  against  "  philosophy  and  vain  deceit"  he 
proceeds  to  discuss  the  spiritual  circumcision  and  the  law  of  ordinances.  And  in  2:16, 
speaking  of  the  fast  days  and  new  moons,  he  goes  on  at  once,  in  verses  18  and  19,  to 
allude  to  the  empty  speculations  of  the  errorists.  Thus  it  would  seem  to  be  plain  that  it 
was  one  set  of  false  teachers,  but  that  they  held  views  at  once  Judaic  and  Gnostic. 

Two  explanations  of  this  rather  singular  phenomenon  are  offered  :  (1)  Lightfoot  and 
Meyer  (with  others)  hold  that  the  views  and  practices  of  the  Essenes,  so  far  as  they  are 
known,  presented  just  this  combination  of  Judaism  and  Gnosticism,  both  in  its  specula- 
tive elements  and  its  ascetic  practices,  which  we  find  traced  in  the  Epistle.  (2)  Franke, 
however,  denies  on  various  grounds  the  relation  to  the  Essenes  and  explains  the  com. 
pound  with  the  general  statement  that  Judaism,  especially  in  tbe  Dispersion,  had  doubt- 
less felt  the  influence  of  the  incipient  Gnosticism  of  the  daj'.  Either  ex]ilanation  is  nii 
explanation,  but  the  able  and  learned  discussions  of  Lightfoot  give  very  great  probability 
to  his  view.  In  either  case,  whether  Essenes  or  not,  these  ftilse  teachers  were  by  their 
wretched  medley  of  Judaism  and  Gnosticism  seriously  endangering  the  purity  of  Chris- 
tian teaching,  if  not  the  very  existence  of  Christian  churches,  at  Colosse,  Hierapolis,  and 
Laodicea.  It  was  to  meet  and  repel  these  teachers,  therefore,  that  the  letters  to  Colosse 
and  Laodicea  were  written  and  directed  (4  :  16)  to  be  interchanged. 

1.  With  regard  to  tiie  form  of  Judaism  opposed  in  the  Epistle,  not  much  need  be 
said.  It  differed  somewhat  from  that  against  which  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  had  been 
directed,  and  to  which  allusion  is  made  in  Philippians.  That  was  narrower,  took  more 
account  of  obedience  to  the  law  and  submission  to  circumcision  as  necessary  to  salvation. 
There  are  allusions  to  the  same  things  in  Colossians,  but  the  scope  is  broader.  To  show 
the  similarity,  or  rather  the  sameness  of  the  error,  however,  let  Galatians  and  Colossians 
be  compared  :  Gal.  5  :  2,  3,  6  ;  6  :  15  with  Col.  2:11,  with  regard  to  circumcision  ;  Gal. 
2  :  15-21  ;  3  : 1-14  with  Col.  2:13,  14,  with  regard  to  the  law  ;  Gal.  4  :  10  with  Col.  2 : 


6        INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 

16,  with  regard  to  feasts  ;  and  finally,  Gal.  3  :  28,  with  Col.  3 ;  11,  with  regard  to  exclu- 
siveness.  These  passages  compared  will  show  both  the  sameness  of  the  error  and  the 
wide  difference  in  the  treatnient.  If  Lightfoot's  theorj'  about  the  Essenes  be  accepted, 
Ave  might  saj',  that  in  Galatiaus  Paul  combats  Pharisaic  Judaism  ;  in  Colossians,  Essenic 
Judaism. 

2.  Any  elaborate  discussion  of  Gnosticism  is,  of  course,  here  impracticable.  Three 
things,  however,  must  be  remarked  :  (1)  That  Gnosticism  in  the  age  immediately  follow- 
ing the  Apostolic,  and  even  later,  assumed  great  proportions  ;  became  a  wonderfully  com- 
plete and  developed  sj'stera  ;  but  that  amid  all  these  complexities  and  additions  the  simpler 
elements  of  an  earlier  stage  of  history  may  be  traced. 

(2)  That  there  is  very  strong  reason  to  believe  that  this  earlier  form  of  thought 
and  speculation,  afterward  called  Gnosticism,  powerfully  aifected  the  Jews,  whether 
particularly  the  Essenes,  or  the  general  body,  about  the  time  in  which  Colossians  was 
written. 

(3)  That  therefore  we  may  expect  to  find  in  Colossians  allusions  only  to  the  earliest 
stage,  and  yet  to  the  fundamental  priiiciitles,  of  Gnosticism.     This  is  in  fact  the  case. 

What  then  was  Gnosticism?  The  word  comes  from  the  Greek  for  "knowledge" 
(y.'<i(ris).  And  so  the  term  itself  claims  for  the  Gnostic,  or  "knowing  one,"  that  he  has 
superior  "knowledge"  concerning  things  bej'ond  the  range  of  common  observation  and 
experience.  We  see  traces  of  this  claim  in  the  allusions  to  the  disturbers  at  Colosse  in 
such  passages  as  Col.  2  :8,  18.  23.  Besides  the  teaching  that  all  should  be  instructed  in 
the  IxiioirJcdr/e  of  the  gospel,  and  similar  expressions. 

This  superior  "knowledge  "  occupied  itself  with  two  deep  and  difiicult  questions  : 
(1)  The  mode  of  creation,  and  (2)  the  origin  of  evil.  In  its  later  forms  Gnosticism  had 
many  a  wild  and  fintastic  doctrine  on  these  matters.  But  even  in  the  earliest  traces  of  it 
noticed  in  our  Epistle  we  can  discover  this  leading  thought.  Paul  opposes  to  all  baseless 
and  fimtastical  ideas  of  creation  the  great  truth  that  in  Christ  all  things  were  created  and 
continue  to  exist  (1  :  16,  17);  that  in  him  the  fullness  ('rA^-'f^a,  "plenitude,"  a. favorite 
word  with  the  Gnostics)  of  the  Divitie  Being  dwells  (2  :  9).  Tiie  Gnostics  held  that  matter 
was  the  seat  of  all  evils,  was  itself  an  evil  ;  and  this  led  them  at  first  to  those  ascetic  ob- 
servances which  are  noticed  and  condemned  in  the  latter  part  of  the  second  chapter  of 
our  E})istle.  Again,  the  Gnostic  held  to  emnnatmis  from  Deity  which  resulted  in  an 
order  of  things  and  beings,  between  God  and  man.  To  this  idea  allusion  is  made  in  the 
worshiping  of  angels  and  humility  mentioned  in  2  :  18. 

We  thus  see  that  the  design  of  the  apostle  in  writing  this  letter  was  to  refute  the 
double  form  of  heresy  that  lay  in  a  dangerous  compound  of  Judaism  and  the  Gnostic 
speculations  then  arising. 

V.  CHARACTER  AND  CONTENTS. 

1.  The  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  differs  from  the  other  Avritings  of  Paul  both  in  style 
and  matter,  more  closely  resembl'ng  Ephesians  than  any  other.  Yet  the  thought  and  lan- 
guage are  both  in  harmony  with  the  other  epistles,  the  differences  beir)g  only  such  as 
would  be  natural  to  the  same  writer  when  writing  under  different  circumstances,  and  for 
somewhat  different  purposes.  There  are  in  Colossians  several  passages  where  the  lan- 
guage is  rough  and  the  meaning  obscure.  Dr.  Hort  conjectures  that  this  is  due  to  an 
early  corruption  of  text.  But  this  is  unnecessary.  The  obscurity  may  be  due  to  other 
causes.     Others — "  advanced  critics  " — infer  that  Paul  did  not  write  Colossians.    But  this 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 


is,  as  Meyer  says,  "  much  too  rash."  Any  man's  style  is  likely  to  vary  in  different  writ- 
ings. And  the  Hkenesses  to  Paul's  other  writings  are  so  great  and  numerous  that  they 
only  serve  to  emphasize  the  differences.  A  forger  would  have  been  likely  to  produce  a 
much  more  clever  imitation,  if  he  wished  to  succeed.  But  no  forger  could  have  expressed 
such  thought  as  is  here.  The  trick  of  style  may  be  caught,  but  the  live  personality  no 
man  can  steal.  The  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  lives  and  moves  in  every  passage  of 
this  short  but  characteristic  letter.  It  is  vigorous  in  method,  elevated  in  thought,  pro- 
found in  conception,  clear  in  doctrine,  warm  in  feeling — in  a  word,  Paul's  throughout. 
2.  The  course  of  thought  in  the  Epistle  may  be  exhibited  briefly,  as  follows  : 

I.  (1:1,2.)  In  the  opening  salutation  he  declares  his  apostolic  authority,  associates 
Timothy  with  him,  and  greets  the  church  at  Colosse  with  the  Apostolic  Benediction. 

II.  (1  :  3-8.)  He  expresses  his  gratitude  to  God,  and  his  prayerful  interest  in  them, 
because  of  the  common  treasure  of  the  gospel  which  has  been  widely  preached  and  is 
fruitful. 

III.  (1  :  9-23.)  He  more  particularly  states  the  burden  of  his  prayer  for  them  :  (1) 
That  they  should  grow  in  wisdom  and  grace.  (2)  Tiiat  they  should  be  thankful  to  God 
for  his  saving  grace  in  Christ.  And  tliis  leads  iiim  (3)  to  .set  forth  the  pre-eminent  glory 
of  Christ  as  the  Image  of  God,  the  Firstborn,  the  creative  Power,  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  the  Saviour  ;  and  (4)  to  speak  of  their  own  reconcihation  to  God.,  and  ultimate 
salvation  by  the  gospel. 

IV.  (1  :  24-29.)  He  is  glad  to  suffer  in  this  cause,  (1)  even  filling  up  any  lack  in 
Christ's  sufferings,  in  (2)  carrying  on  his  work  as  minister  of  the  mystery  of  God's  will, 
and  (3)  while  preaching  and  warning  all  to  accept  the  salvation  in  Christ. 

V.  (2  : 1-7.)  He  tells  of  his  deep  interest  in  them  and  their  brethren  at  Laodicea  : 
(1)  That  the  full  blessing  of  the  gospel  knowledge  might  be  theirs  ;  (2)  that  they  might 
not  be  led  astray  ;  (3)  for  though  absent  he  rejoiced  to  be  present  with  them  in  spirit ;  and 
so  (4)  he  earnestly  exhorts  them  to  hold  fast  to  Christ  as  they  had  been  taught. 

VI.  (2  :  8-23 .J  He  is  led  now  to  warn  them  against  the  errors  that  he  had  heard 
were  threatening  them  ;  namely,  worldly  rudiments,  and  not  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  in 
whom  dwells  the  plenitude  of  divine  excellence.  This  error  appears  in  three  forms  :  (1) 
Legalism,  11-17.    (2)  False  philosophy,  18,  19.     (3)  Asceticism,  20-23. 

A^II.  (3  :  1-17.)  He  now  gives  the  true  moral  and  spiritual  principle,  the  antidote  to 
all  error  in  thought  and  practice,  that  is,  heavenly-mindedness  in  Christ.  And  so  he 
urges  (1)  the  putting  down  of  all  low  affections  and  wicked  practices,  and  (2)  the  putting 
on  of  all  elevated  affections  and  good  practices. 

VIII.  (3  :  18-4  : 1.)  Domestic  relations  are  then  considered,  and  the  morals  of  the 
home-life  enforced  in  the  appropriate  duties  of  wives,  husbands,  children,  fathers,  ser- 
vants, masters. 

IX.  (4  :  2-6.)  Exhortation  (1)  to  praj'er  in  general,  and  particularly  for  himself  in 
his  work,  and  (2)  to  wisdom  in  demeanor  toward  those  who  are  not  believers. 

X.  (4  :  7-18.)  Personal  matters  occupy  the  rest  of  the  letter  :  (1)  How  they  should 
hear  of  his  affairs  ;  (2)  salutations  to  and  from  different  individuals ;  (3)  his  autograph 
salutation  at  the  close. 

VI.  TEXT. 

The  text  of  Colossians  is  in  some  places  difficult  to  settle,  and  some  interesting  ques- 
tions of  text-criticism  arise.     It  appears  desirable  to  discuss  them  in  foot  notes  under 


8        INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 


the  passages  where  the  reading  is  doubtful,  or  incorrect  in  the  text  at  the  basis  of  the 
Common  Version.  The  writer  can  claim  only  a  very  rudimentary  acquaintance  with  the 
science  of  Text-Criticism,  and  offers  here  simply  the  results  of  his  studies  of  such  authori- 
ties as  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf  (eighth  edition),  and  the  commentaries  of  Bishop 
Lightfoot,  and  of  Meyer  as  revised  by  Franke. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


PAUL,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  bf  the  will  of  God, 
and  Tiiuotheus  our  brother, 

2  To  the  saints  and  faithltil  brethren  in  Christ 
which  are  at  Colosse :  (irace  be  unto  you,  and  peace, 
from  (iod  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Ciirift. 

3  We  give  thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  praying  always  tor  you, 


1      Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  through  the  will 

'Z  of  God,  and  Timothy  i  our  brother,  ^to    the  saints 

and  faitlil'ul  bretluen  in  Christ  iv/io  (ire  at  Colossa; : 

Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father. 

3       V>  e  give  thaulw  U)-*(.iod  the  Father  of  our  Lord 


1  Gr.  the  brother 2  Or,  to  thote  that  art  at  Coloaaoe,  holy  and  faithful  brethren  in  Christ 3  Or,  God  and  the  Father. 

The  Title. — In  the  older  manuscripts  tlie'j  'saints' by  God's  grace.    At  Colosse.    Many- 


title  is  given  simply  "To  the  Colosssians'' ; 
in  some,  however,  it  reads,  "To  the  Colas- 
sians."  No  one  regards  the  title  as  part  of  the 
original  autograph.  Tlie  better  manuscripts 
give  Colassians  in  the  title,  and  Colossians  in 
ver.  2.  This  is  the  form  adopted  by  Westcott 
and  Hort  and  Lightfoot,  though  Tischendorf 
and  Meyer  and  Franke  use  Colossians  in  both 
places. 
Ch.  1:1,2.  The  Address. 

1.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  by 
the  will  of  God,  etc.  In  accordance  with 
his  established  custom,  the  apostle  begins  by 
declaring  his  authority  to  speak  for  Christ. 
'  B3'  the  will  of  God' — not  by  men,  nor  by 
himself.  It  is  a  great  claim  that  he  invari- 
ably makes,  and  is  not  lightly  to  be  passed  by. 
And  Timotheus  our  brother.  Notice  this 
as.sociation  of  Timothy  (compare  2  Cor.  1:1; 
Phil.  1  :  1),  who  is  not  called  "apostle,"  but 
'our  (the)  brother.' 

2.  To  the  saints  and  faithful  brethren 
in  Christ.  Or,  since  there  is  biit  one  article, 
it  may  be  read:  'To  the  holy  and  faithful 
brethren.'  The  point  is  of  no  great  import- 
ance. They  are  called  'holy'  or  'saints,'  not 
because  of  any  natural  or  acquired  sanctity'  of 
their  own,  but  because  of  God's  saving  inercy 
bestowed  upon  them  in  Christ.  They  were 
'brethren  in  Christ,'  'faithful'  in  character, 


manuscripts  have  the  spelling  "Colassae,"  but 
the  best  authorities  favor  the  usual  orthog- 
raphy, which  is  also  that  of  the  manuscripts 
of  Herodotus  and  Xenophon  in  passages  where 
the  city  is  mentioned.  It  was  a  city  of  Phry- 
gia  on  the  river  Lycus,  a  siiort  distance  (ten 
or  twelve  miles)  above  Laodicea.  It  receives 
complimentary  notice  from  Xenophon  in  the 
"Anabasis."  It  is  now  in  ruins,  but  there  is 
a  village  called  Cbonos  near  the  site.  Little 
or  nothing  is  known  of  the  church  at  Colosse, 
beyond  what  the  Epistle  itself  teaches.  Grace 
be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.i  This 
is  the  common  salutation  of  the  Epistles. 
'Grace'  is  the  favor,  the  blessing  of  God,  espe- 
cially in  bestowing  spiritual  gifts;  'peace'  is 
the  peace  of  reconciliation  with  God,  the  abid- 
ing peace  of  a  pardoned  and  justified  soul. 
Compare  Rom.  5  :  1. 

3-5.  Thanksgiving. 

3.  We  give  thanks  ...  praying.  Apos- 
tolic example  enforcing  the  precept  of  Phil. 
4:6.  Question  whether  'always'  goes  with 
'give  thanks'  (Lightfoot,  Meyer),  or  with 
"praying"  (Bengel,  Olshausen,  Ellicott).  I 
prefer  the  latter.  The  'always'  need  not  be 
pressed  to  literal  e,\actness,  but  should  cer- 
tainly not  be  weakened  down  to  nothing,  as  a 
mere  rhetorical  flourish. - 


iThe  Revised  Version,  with  Tischendorf,  Westcott 
and  Hort,  Lightfoot,  Meyer-Franke,  omits  the  words 
'and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ'  from  the  benediction. 
Manuscripts  favoring  the  omission  arc  B  P  K  L,  17,  H9, 
46,  and  others.  Chrysostom  and  Origen  both  notice 
and  comment  on  the  omission  as  unusual  with  Paul. 
The  manuscripts  (even  X)  which  contain  the  addition 
were  evidently  manipulated  by  copyists  to  conform  to 
the  usual  style.  Clearly,  therefore,  the  words  should  be 
omiAfed. 


2  A  variation,  unimportant  as  to  the  sense,  but  inter- 
esting to  critics,  occurs  here.  It  is  what  Westcott  and 
Hort  call  a"  ternary  variation" — that  is,  there  are  three 
readings  to  choose  from.  It  comes  after  evxa-p'TTovixfv 
("  we  give  thanks") ;  the  question  is,  whether  we  should 
read,  as  in  Received  Text,  (1)  tuj  0eiZ  Ka'i  narpi  ("  to  the 
God  and  Father");  or  (2),  tw  9f<Z  t(Z  iraTpi ;  or  (M),  Ta> 
flecu  irarpX  ("to  God  the  Father,"  without  "and,"  both 
the  latter  having  to  be  rendered  into  English  in  the 
same  way).    No  critical  edition  (exceprt  Lachniann,  I 

9 


10 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  I. 


i  Since  we  heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
of  Ihe  love  which  ye  have  to  ;ill  the  saints, 

5  For  the  hope  which  is  laid  up  lor  you  in  heaven, 
whereof  ye  heard  before  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of 
the  gospel ; 

6  Wliich  is  corue  unto  you,  as  it  is  in  all  the  world; 
and  bringeth  forth  fruit,  as  it  dot/i  also  in  you,  since 
the  day  ye  heard  of  it,  and  knew  the  grace  of  God  in 
truth : 


4  Jesus  Christ,  praying  always  for  you,  having  heard 
of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  of  the  love  wliich 

5  ye  have  toward  all  the  saints,  because  of  the  hope 
which  is  laid  up  for  you  in  the  heavens,  whereof  ye 
heard  before  in  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel, 

6  which  is  come  unto  you  ;  even  as  it  is  also  in  all  the 
world  bearing  fruit  and  increasing,  as  it  doth  in  you 
also,  since  the  day  ye  heard  and  knew  the  grace  of 


4.  Since  we  heard — Revised  Version,  bet- 
ter, "having  heard  of  your  faith,"  etc.  The 
'having  heard'  is  the  temporal,  not  causal, 
use  of  the  participle.  The  news  came  through 
Epaphras  (ver.  7),  and  was  not  a  matter  of  per- 
sonal knowledge  on  Paul's  part.  The  occa- 
sion of  this  thanksgiving  was  their  faith  in 
Christ  and  love  for  the  brotherhood.  Truly, 
a  sufficient  ground  for  thanksgiving  always. 
Their  faith  was  "centred  in  Christ"  (Elli- 
cott);  "resting  on  Christ"  (Meyer).  Which 
ye  have  is  found  in  the  most  important  man- 
uscripts, and  is  therefore  inserted  in  the  Re- 
vised Version  without  italics.^  To  all  the 
saints.  Their  love  was  not  confined  to  their 
own  church  and  community  of  faith,  but 
reached  out  to  all  who  could  truly  be  called 
'saints.' 

5.  For  the  hope — Revised  Version,  "be- 
cause of  the  hope"  ;  probably  better  still,  on 
account  of  the  hope.  This  is  not  given  as  a 
second  ground  of  thanksgiving,  but  as  the 
reason  of  their  love  to  all  the  saints,  being  the 
comtnon  tie  of  Christian  brotherhood.  Which 
is  laid  up  for  you  in  heaven  (Revised  Ver- 
sion, tnore  correctly,  "in  the  heavens") — that 
is,  it  awaits  its  complete  fulfillment  in  hea- 
ven ;  also,  the  thought  of  its  being  safely  kept 
may  bo  involved.  The  hope  is  here  in  our 
■hearts,  but  it  also  "entereth  into  that  within 
the  vail."  Compare  Rom.  8  :  24,  25.  Where- 
of ye   heard   before  —  by  the    ministry   of 


Epaphras  and  probably  others.  'Before'  — 
formerly.,  at  first,  before  now.  Lightfoot's 
suggestion  of  an  allusion  in  the  word  to  the 
later  teaching  of  the  heretics  as  contrasted 
with  the  earlier  pure  tetichmg  of  Epapliras  is 
possible,  but  ratlier  forced.  In  the  word  of 
the  truth  of  the  gospel.  Many  expositors 
construe  appositiontiUy,  "the  word  of  the 
truth,  which  is  the  gospel "  :  but  I  think  (with 
Meyer)  that  the  thought  is  rtilher  that  the 
word  is  full  of  truth,  and  that  tha  word  of 
truth  on  this  great  topic  is  presented  by  the 
gospel.  The  gospel  alone  reveals  the  truth 
about  this  hope;  the  gospel,  alone  makes  it 
"sure  and  steadfast."  This  mention  of  the 
word  of  the  gospel  naturally  leads  to  the  next 
thought : 
6.  The  Presence  and   Power  of  the 

GOSPEI,. 

6.  Which  is  come  unto  you,  as  it  is 
in  all  the  world;  and  bringeth  forth 
fruit.  The  best  manuscripts  omit  'and' 
before  'bringeth,'  and  add  "itnd  increas- 
ing."* Accordingly,  we  should  read  with 
the  Revised  Version,  "which  is  come  unto 
you;  even  as  it  is  also  in  all  the  world, 
bearing  fruit  and  :ncreasing."  The  gospel  is 
thus  described  as  having  come,  and  being  now 
a  present  reality,  among  the  Colossians,  and 
is  affirmed  to  be  existing  as  a  fruit-bearing 
and  grov.'ing  power  in  all  the  world.  'In  all 
the  world' — as  a  general  statement,  not  as  in 


believe)  adopts  the  second  form,  which  is  not  very  well 
supported,  and  may  be  left  out.  As  between  (1)  and  (.3) 
the  German  scholars,  Tischendorf,  and  Meyer-Franke, 
adopt  (1)  the  common  reading  on  the  authority  of  X  A 
C2D«  E  K  L  P;  all  cursives  (Old  Latin?),  Vulgate,  sev- 
eral Fathers.  The  English  school,  on  the  contrary, 
Tregelles  followed  by  Westcott  and  Hort  and  Lightfoot, 
adopt  (3)  on  the  authority  of  B  C*,  some  manuscripts 
of  Old  Latin,  Mcmphitic,  Syriac,  Ethiopic,  Arabic  ;  Au- 
gu.stine  and  Ca-ssiodorus.  This,  as  the  shorter  and  more 
tinusual  reading,  is  preferable,  besides  giving  a  reason- 
able explanation  of  the  other  two.  <0n  these  grounds, 
it  is  more  likely  the  correct  reading,  and  has  been  ac- 
cepted by  the  Revised  Version. 
1  Here  the  words  >?>'  ex'"  ("  which  ye  have")  are  taken 


into  the  text  by  Revised  Version,  Tischendorf,  Meyer- 
Franke,  on  authority  of  X  and  most  other  manuscripts, 
versions,  and  Fathers.  External  authority  is  strongly 
in  favor  of  it.  But  Westcott  and  Hort  and  Lightfoot 
put  it  in  brackets  because  omitted  by  B,  and  being 
possibly  a  "conflate"  reading.  The  point  is  doubtful, 
but  it  is  most  likely  correct  to  insert  with  Tischendorf 
and  Revised  Version. 

2  Tischendorf,  Westcott  and  Hort,  Lightfoot,  omit 
Kai  before  sctti  on  vastly  preponderant  authority.  It 
is  retained  by  Meyer-Franke  on  graiumatical  grounds, 
though  slenderly  supported.  Westcott  and  Hort,  Light- 
foot, Tischendorf,  Meyer-Franke,  insert  koI  av^avoixe- 
vov  ("and  increasing")  on  decisive  manuscript  and 
other  authority. 


Ch.  I.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


11 


7  As  ye  also  learned  of  Epaphras  our  dear  fellow 
servant,  who  is  for  you  a  faitliCiil  luiiiister  of  Christ ; 

»  VVlio  also  declared  unto  us  your  love  in  tlie  .Spirit. 

y  For  this  cause  we  also,  since  the  day  we  heard  it, 
do  not  cease  to  pray  for  you,  aud  to  desire  that  ye 
might  be  filled  wiih  the  knowledge  of  his  will  iu  all 
wisdom  aud  spiritual  uuderstandiug; 


7  God  in  truth;  even  as  ye  learned  of  Epaphras  our 
beloved  fellow-servant,  who  is  a  faithful  minister  of 

8  Christ  on  'our  beiialf,  who  also  declared  unto  us 
your  love  in  the  Spirit. 

9  For  this  cause  we  also,  since  the  day  we  heard  it, 
do  not  cease  to  pray  and  make  request  for  you,  ihat 
ye  may  be  tilled  wiih  the  knowledge  of  his  will  in  uU 


1  Many  aocieat  autborities  read  your. 


every  detail  literally  true.  But  even  as  a  gen- 
eral statement,  and  including  only  the  Konian 
Empire  and  coittiguous  countries,  it  is  a  very 
rcimarlvable  fact  at  tliat  early  date.  As  it 
doth  also  ill  you.  The  Revised  Version  is 
■again  decidedly  preferable.  He  would  not 
implj'  by  saying  that  the  gospel  was  bearing 
fruit  and  growing  in  ail  the  tvorld  that  it  was 
not  doing  the  same  among  them,  and  so  at  the 
expense  of  grammatical  smootiiness  he  brings 
in  a  second  comparison  to  include  them  in  the 
statement  of  the  fruitage  and  growth  of  the 
gospel.  Their  advance  had  in  fact  been  steady 
from  the  first.  Since  the  day  ye  heard, 
and  knew  the  grace  of  God  in  truth.  Two 
questions  arise  here:  (1)  Does  'heard'  govern 
'grace'  or  'gospel'  understood?  Does  he 
mean  to  say,  'since  ye  heard  (the  gospel),  and 
knew  the  grace'?  This  is  Meyer's  view.  I 
prefer  to  follow  the  Revised  Version,  with 
Lightfoot.  'The  grace  of  God'  is  the  gist  of 
the  gospel ;  to  hear  and  know  one  is  to  hear 
and  know  the  other.  ('2)  Does  the  phrase  'in 
truth'  qualify  the  verb  'heard,'  and  thus  indi- 
cate their  true  reception  of  the  gospel ;  or  does 
it  belong  with  'grace,'  and  so  describe  the 
truth  of  the  gospel  as  distinguished  from  all 
errors?  Alford  combines  the  two:  "In  its 
truth  and  with  true  knowledge."  This  is  not 
necessary.  Either  gives  excellent  sense.  I 
prefer  the  construction  with  'heard.'  Meyer 
says:  "It  was  a  true  knowledge,  correspond- 
ing with  the  essence  of  the  grace  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  gospel  which  had  been  preached 
to  them,  without  Judaistic  and  other  errors." 
7,8.  Epaphra.s.  Two  questions  arise  here: 
1.  Is  this  Epapiiras  the  satne  person  as  Epaph- 
roditus,  mentioned  in  Phil.  2:25,  seq.,  and 
4  :  18?  The  name  may  be  ttie  same,  Epaphras 
being  a  contraction,  but  it  does  not  follow  that 


the  person  is  the  same.  In  fact,  the  greater 
probability'  is  that  there  were  two  persons- 
The  shorter  form  is  always  used  in  this  Epis- 
tle, and  also  in  Philem.  23,  where  the  same 
person  is  referred  to ;  the  longer  form  is  used 
just  as  exclusively  for  the  other  person  ;  and 
then  the  localities  and  circumstances  are  very 
different.  2.  Shall  we  read  a  faithful  min- 
ister of  Christ /or  us,  or,  for  you  ?  I  prefer 
the  fortu'er.*  Epaphras  is  mentioned  here  and 
in  4  :  12,  13 ;  also  Philem.  23.  From  the  notice 
in  Philemon  we  mark  him  as  a  "  fellow-pris- 
oner" of  the  apostle,  possibly  from  choice,  in 
order  to  be  with  Paul,  and  learn  from  him. 
Here  he  appears  as  the  first  instructor  of  the 
Colossians  in  llie  gospel,  while  from  2  :  1  we 
infer  that  Paul  had  not  seen  the  Colossians  in 
person.  Twice  is  he  called,  in  a  very  com- 
mendatory way,  a  "  minister  of  Christ."  Paul 
not  only  endorses  him  as  faithful,  but  even 
speaks  of  him  (according  to  the  most  prob- 
able rpading)  as  in  some  sort  a  substitute  for 
himself.  It  appears  that,  being  perplexed 
and  troubled  with  regard  to  the  serious  errors 
of  the  churches  at  Colosse,  Hierapolis,  and 
Laodicea  (*:  is),  he  sought  counsel  from  Paul  at 
the  cost  of  becoming  a  prisoner  himself  (Phiiem. 
23),  and  that  this  Epistle  and  that  to  Laodicea 
(i:ir,)  are  the  result  of  his  communications. 

8.  Who  also  declared  unto  us  your  love 
in  the  Spirit— affectionate  mention  of  his 
peoi)le  by  Epaphras.  The  phrase  'in  the 
Spirit'  denotes  the  sphere,  and  so  the  source 
and  sustaining  power  of  their  love.  It  was  a 
spiritual  love,  the  Christian  love,  one  of  the 
"  fruits  of  the  Spirit  "  (Giii.5:22),  and  possibly 
here  having  special  reference  to  Paul  himself 
as  its  object. 

9-12  rr.  Prayer  FOR  the  CoLossiANS. 

9.  How  naturally  this  follows!     For  this 


'  It  is  very  difficult  to  deciile  here  whether  to  read  I  37.  47.,  and  many  others  ;  d  e  f  Vulgate,  Gothic,  Pyriac, 
irn-ep  rjjiwK  ("  for  US,"  •"  in  our  behalf"),  with  Lightfoot,  Coptic,  and  other  Versions.  On  internal  grounds,  the 
Westcott  and  Hort,  on  authority  of  X*  A  B  fJ  *  F  G,  .3.  [  reading  of  the  English  scholars  and  the  Revised  Ver- 
13.  3:?.  4:i.  52.  80.91.  109.  a  g  Anibrosiaster ;  or  imkftvixiov  sion  seems  prefvrable.  The  reading  is  interesting  a-s 
("for  you,"  "on  your  behalf"),  with  Tischeudorf,  j  displaying  a  curious  conflict  between  the  best  maau- 
Heyer-Franke,  on  authority  of  X'  C  D'  E  K  E  P,  17.    scripts  and  the  versions. 


12 


COLOSSTANS. 


[Ch.  I. 


10  That  ye  might  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all 
pleiisiiLg,  being  fniittul  in  every  good  work,  and  in- 
creasing ill  the  knowledge  of  tiud  ; 

1!  Sirenglhened  with  all  might,  according  to  bis 
glorious  power,  unto  all  palieiice  and  longsutfering 
with  joyfuluess ; 


10  spiritual  wisdom  and  understanding,to  walk  worthily 
of  the  Lord  '  unto  all  pleasing,  bearing  fiuit  in  e\e\Y 
good  work,  and  increasing  '^  in  the  knowledge  of  God  ; 

11  ^strengthened  ■'with  all  power,  according  to  the 
might  of  his  glory,  unto  all  ^  patience  and  longsutTer- 


1  Or.  unto  allpUasing,  in  every  good  work,  hearing  fruit  and  increasin 

b  Or,  sted/astne 


,  etc 2  Or,  by 3  Gr.  made  powerful 4  Or,  in. 


cause.  This,  perhaps,  refefs  to  the  whole 
preceding  statement  from  ver.  4,  but,  natur- 
ally, has  a  more  specific  reference  to  the  last 
turn  of  the  sentence  ;  namely,  their  spiritual 
love,  which  awakened  loving,  prayerful  in- 
terest on  his  part.  We  also.  The  'also' 
"denotes  the  response  of  the  apostle's  per- 
sonal feeling  to  the  favorable  character  of  the 
news."  (Lightfoot. )  Since  the  day  we 
heard  it,  do  not  cease  to  pray  for  you, 
and  to  desire.  See  note  on  ver.  3.  "To  pray 
and  make  request  for  you,"  as  it  is  more  accu- 
rately given  in  the  Revised  Version.  Both  the 
praying  and  the  making  request  are  '  for  them,' 
the  latter  term  being  introduced  to  simplify 
the  statement  and  to  specialize  the  subjects  of 
petition.  It  would  be  still  more  nearly  exact 
to  render,  "Do  not  cease  on  your  behalf 
praying  and  asking."  "He  made  mention 
of  prayers  in  a  general  way  in  ver.  3,  now  he 
expresses  what  he  prays  for."  (Bengel.)  The 
noble  burden  of  the  prayer  now  follows.  Com- 
pare Eph.  3  :  14-19.  It  embraces  a  number  of 
particulars  which  glide  naturally  out  of,  and 
into,  each  other  in  the  onward  sweep  of  high 
spiritual  emotion.  That  ye  might  be  filled 
with  the  knowledge  (njjprehensinn)  of  his 
will  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  under- 
standing— or,  all  S2yiritual  irisdom  and  un- 
derstanding. This  arrangement  of  the  sen- 
tence is  better  than  that  of  the  Common 
Version;  for  the  epithet  'spiritual'  qualifies 
both  'wisdom'  and  'understanding.'  The 
exerciseof  our  natural  'wisdom'  and  'under- 
standing,' under  tlie  control  and  direction  of 
the  Spirit  acting  on  our  spirits,  is  necessary  to 
a  real  'apprehension'  of  the  will  of  God. 
This  he  prays  that  they  may  have.  Compare 
Rom,  8:  26-28.  'Knowledge,"  here,  is  com- 
))lete,  thorough  knowledge  {iitiyvia<r^%) ,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  general  knowledge  (yfieris), 
perhaps  used  here  in  reference  and  opposition 


to  the  false  "knowledge"  (or,  gnosis)  taught 
by  the  errorists  at  Colosse.  'Of  his  will,' 
either  as  (1)  revelation,  what  he  wills  to  make 
known,  the  '  mystery '  of  the  gospel ;  or  (2) 
command,  what  he  wills  for  us  to  be  and  to 
do.  Possibly  both,  as  the  second  comes  out 
of  the  first.  'Wisdom  and  understanding.' 
The  first  is  a  general  term  for  the  highest 
mental  power,  the  second  is  used  more  espe- 
cially as  applying  the  first  to  the  conduct. 
See  Lightfoot. 

10.  Now  comes  the  practical  and  outward 
manifestation  of  this  high  spiritual  gift — that 
ye  might  walk'  Avorthy  of  the  Lord  unto 
all  pleasing,  etc. — better,  as  Revised  Ver- 
sion, "to  walk  worthily  of  the  Lord,"  in  a 
way  suitable  to  the  acceptance  and  exercise  of 
the  exalted  gift  of  '  si^iritual  understanding' 
bestowed  by  the  Lord.  'The  Lord'  here,  as 
usual  with  Paul,  is  Christ.  'Unto  all  pleas- 
ing'— in  such  a  manner  as  to  please  the  Lord 
in  all  things;  for  he  looks  with  pleasure  upon 
the  right  use  of  his  gracious  gifts.  Being 
fruitful  in  every  good  work  and  increas- 
ing in  (or,  growing  by)  the  knowledge  of 
God.  Here  is  the  outward  and  the  inward 
improvement  of  the  gift  of 'spiritual  under- 
standing': to  do  all  the  good  they  can,  and 
to  know  more  artd  more,  in  order  to  do  yet 
more  good;  or  it  may  be  also  understood 
'growing  by  the  knowledge  of  God'  as  the 
means,  rather  than  the  sphere,  of  develop- 
ment. It  is  hard  to  decide,  either  being 
grammatically  and  theologically  correct.  Per- 
haps the  visual  rendering  is  more  natural. 

11.  Strengthened  with  all  might,  etc.  The 
verse  would  be  more  literally  rendered  :  Em- 
powered with  all  power,  according  to  the  might 
of  his  glory,  vnto  all  endurance  and  long- 
suffering  vnth  joy.  This  is  another  element 
of  his  prayer,  a  part  of  their  spiritual  devel- 
opment.    '  Empowered  with  all  power'  refers 


'  Westcott  and  Hort,  Lightfoot,  Tischendorf,  Meyer- 
Franke,  Revised  Version  omit  v/noy,  so  as  to  rend 
simply  "  to  walk  "  (Revised  Version),  instead  of  "  that 
ye  might  walk  "  (Common  Version).   The  authorities 


are  decisive  for  the  otnis.;ion.  The  Received  Text  has 
el<;  Triv  iTTLyvaxTiv  on  very  slender  authority;  Westoott 
and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  Lightfoot,  read  tjj  iviyvuxrei, 
with  X  A  B  C  D  *  F  G  P,  et<. 


Ch.  I.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


13 


12  (jiviug  thanks  unto  the  Father,  which  hath  made 
us  lueul  to  be  iiartakers  of  tlie  iuheritauce  of  the 
saints  in  Unht : 

13  Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  dark- 
ness, and  hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his 
dear  Son : 


12  ing    with  joy ;    giving     thanks   unto   the     Father, 
who  made  1  us  meet  to  be  paruikers  of  the  iiilierit- 

13  auce    of    tlie    saints    in    light;    who    delivered    us 
out  of  the  power  of  darkness,  and  translated   us 


Some  aiiciem  aulhorilies  read  you. 


to  the  exercise  of  moral  and  spiritual  power 
by  tliose  for  whom  he  is  praying;  'according 
to  the  might  of  his  glory'  gives  the  source 
and  measure  of  their  power.  The  word 
•  might'  (icpaTos)  is  used  only  of  God's  power; 
and  here  the  divine  'might'  manifests  itself 
in  tlieir  'power.'  'Might  of  his  glory' — not 
'his  glorious  power,'  but  the  'might'  which 
is  an  element  and  exhibition  of  that  sum  of 
the  divine  perfections  which  is  expres-sed  in 
the  word  'glory.'  'Endurance'  refers  to  the 
bearing  of  afflictions,  persecutions,  hardships 
in  the  path  of  Cliristian  duty  ;  '  longsuffering' 
denotes  the  state  of  mind  toward  those  who 
bring  these  afflictions  upon  the  sufferers;  'with 
joy  '  describes  the  temper  with  which  the  '  en- 
durance and  long  suffering  '  were  to  be  exer- 
cised. See  Rom.  5:  3.  Sotne  expositors  (even 
Meyer  and  Ellicott)  connect  these  words  with 
the  next  verse,  and  read,  "with  joy  giving 
thanks"  ;  but  Olshausen  very  correctly  says: 
"'Giving  thanks'  itself  alone  conve^'S  tiie 
idea  of  joyful  resignation  to  God's  will  ;  but 
'patience'  and  'longsuffering'  need  the  de- 
fining '  with  joy,'  in  order  to  characterize  tiiem 
as  genuinely  Christian."  Tlie  thought  now 
naturally  glides  on  without  break  into  the 
matter  of  thanksgiving  to  God,  which  is  a 
part  of  tiiat  worthy  walk  for  which  he  pram's 
on  their  behalf. 

13,  13.  Grounds  of  Thanksgiving  to 
God. 

13.  These  are :  that  he  has  given  us  the  hope 
of  heaven,  and  that  he  has  rescued  us  from 
the  dominion  of  sin,  and  put  us  into  the  king- 
dom of  Ciirist.  Which  hath  made  us  meet. 
It  is  difficult  to  decide  whether  to  read  'made 
us  meet,'  or  'made  you  meet.'  I  prefer  'us' 
on  internal  grounds,  and  on  good  document- 
ary authority.^    As  to  meaning,  the  thought 


is  plain,  the  words  interesting.  'Made  us 
meet' — that  h,Jitted,  qualified  us  to  be  par- 
takers of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light.  'Inheritance'  is  not  exactly  correct. 
There  are  two  words  'part  of  the  lot.'  Com- 
pare Acts  8  :  21.  Olshausen  sa^'s:  "The  saints 
conceived  as  a  unity  have  it  joint  'lot,'  of 
which  each  individual  has  his  'part.'  No 
doubt,  as  Lightfoot  and  Olshausen  say,  the 
turn  of  expression  was  suggested  by  the  way 
in  which  the  Tribes  of  Israel  received  the  in- 
heritance of  Canaan.  The  phrase  'saints  in 
light'  ma3%  and  doutless  does,  refer  primarily 
to  tiie  consummation  of  the  glorious  destiny 
of  the  saints;  that  is,  to  heaven.  But  it  is  to 
be  noticed  that  it  is  contrasted  with  '  dark- 
ness' below,  and  is  thus  in  some  sort  put  in 
apposition  with  "kingdom  of  his  dear  Son," 
which  the  'saint'  enters  by  laith  here  on 
earth.  Compare  John  5  :  24.  The  commen- 
tators puzzle  mucli  over  the  connection  of  the 
words  'in  light.'  Mej'er  tries  to  prove  that 
tliey  go  with  'made  us  meet,'  as  the  instru- 
ment by  which  that  meetness  for  the  heavenly 
inheritance  is  effected.  But  this  is  decidedly 
strained.  Nor  is  it  correct  to  construe  solely 
with  'the  saints,'  so  as  to  say,  'the  saints 
[who  are]  in  light."  No  dotibt  the  proper 
connection  is  with  the  full  plirase  'lot  of  the 
saints,'  this  'lot'  being  characterized  by 
'light.'  This  'light'  may  be  that  of  knowl- 
edge, as  opposed  to  the  darkness  of  sinful 
ignorance;  or,  more  likely,  o^  purity,  as  op- 
posed to  the  darkness  of  sinful  depravity.  The 
next  verse  brings  out  the  contrast. 

13.  Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the 
power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated 
us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son.  Sin, 
wickedness,  the  influence  and  power  of  Satan, 
is  darkness.   'Translated'— that  is,  put  us  over 


1  Tischendorf  reads  u/u-as  (yov)  after  the  manuscripts  X 
B  4.23.  80.  11-5;  some  manuscripts  of  the  Vulgate,  Kthi- 
opic, and  a  icy;  Fathers.     Westcott  and  Hort  also  adopt 


the  common  reading  ^/ua?  (ns)  after  ACDEFGKLP, 
most  cursives,  old  Latin,  some  manuscripts  of  the  Vul- 
gate,  Syriac,   Coptic;   Origeii,   Athanasius,   and  other 


this  reading  in  their  text,  hut  not  confidently,  giving  the  I  Fathers.  On  internal  grounds,  the  common  reading 
other  in  the  margin.  Lighifnot  adopts  rjnat  (us)  in  his  i  seems  preferable;  but  for  the  less  pleasing  reading  to 
text,  but  gives  u^i?  (you)  in  the  margin,  and  expresses  ]  be  supported  both  by  X  and  B  makes  a  very  strong  ar- 
himself  doubtfully  in  the  note.    Meyer-Fran ke  prefers  ;  gument  for  uji^ios. 


14 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  L 


14  In  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  I 
even  the  forgiveness  of  sins: 

15  \\ho  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  first- 
born of  every  creature : 


14  into  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  of  his  love;  in  whom 
we  have  our  redemption,  ihe  forgiveness  of  our  sins: 

15  who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  (jod,  the  firstborn 


into  the  kingdom  of   Christ.     Beiigel   aptly 
contrasts  'kingdom'  with  'power':   "Power 
detains  captives,  a  kingdom  nourishes  joyful 
subjects."     The  transaction  is  represented  as 
past,  'translated,'  not  here  in  view  of  the  de- 
crees of  God,   as   in   Rom.  8  :  29,  30,  but,  as 
Meyer  sa^'s,  "through  conversion  to  Clirist, 
which  is  God's  work."     Yet  there  is,  doubt- 
less, here  the  idea  of  the  consummation  of  this 
kingdom  hereafter,   toward   wliich   we   looii. 
"We  are  no  longer  captives  of  the  power  of 
darkness,  but  are  become  subjects  of  the  king- 
dom of  light,  which  ever  tends  to  its  own  con- 
summation.    'His  dear  Son,'  or  "the  Son  of 
his  love,"  as  in  the  Revised  Version;  that  is, 
tiie  Son  whom  he  loves,  who  is  especially  the  i 
object  of  tlie  divine  Father's  love,  and  upon  ! 
whose  subjects   also   (JoUn  16:27)   the    Father's] 
love  is  bestowed.     The  notion  of  Augustine,  ! 
adopted  and  defended  byOlshausen,  and  even  j 
1)3'  Lightfoot,  that  tlie  apostle  here  means  to  : 
declare  the  eternal  generation  of  the  Son  in  1 
the  very  essence  and  bei  ng  of  the  Father,  since  j 
God  is  Love  (iJohu4:8,  is),  seems  utterly  for-; 
eign  to  the  connection.     The  more  simple  in-  j 
terpretation   given  above  is  held  by  Meyer,  ; 
Ellicott,  and  others.     By  a  very  simple  and  j 
easy  transition,  the  apostle  is  now  led  on  to  | 
speak  of  the  work  and  glory  of  God's  beloved 
Son. 

14.  The  "Work  of  Christ  in  Redemp- 
tion. 

In  whom  we  have  redemption  throu§:h 
his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins. 
The  words  'through  his  blood'  should  be 
omitted.'  Read:  "In  whom  we  have  the  re- 
demption, the  forgiveness  of  sins."  It  isa  little 
smoother  English  to  leave  out  the  article  be- 
fore '  redemption,'  as  in  the  Common  Version, 
but  it  does  not  mend  matters  to  insert  "our," 
as  tlie  Revised  Version  does.  'Redemption' 
is  a  leading  gospel  idea,  a  well-known  Chris- 
tian truth,  and  so  has  the  article.  The  word 
literally  means  "a  buj'ing  back,"  and  is  the 
act  of  securing  release  of  an  object  or  person 
by  the  payment  of  a  ransom  price.     This  '  re- 


demption,' or  release  secured  by  purchase, 
is  represented  as  a  present  possession  ['we 
have'],  and  so  expresses  the  present  state  of 
the  believer.  This  release  is  "from  the  wrath 
and  punitive  justice  of  God  in  its  most  com- 
prehensive signification,  whether  specially 
ours  or  common  to  us  and  all  mankind." 
(Ellicott.)  'Forgiveness'  or  '  remission  '  lit- 
erally means  "letting  go,"  the  act  of  letting 
go.  The  two  words  are  here,  and  in  Eph.  1 :  7, 
put  together  as  fully  expressing  what  we  have 
througii  Christ.  It  is  not  that  the  words  are 
synonymous,  but  that  taken  together  they 
sum  up  the  fullness  of  the  blessing  obtained 
for  us  by  the  self-sacrifice  of  Christ.  The  twin 
pillars  of  our  hope  in  Christ — redemption  and 
forgiveness  ! 

15-20.  The  Glory  and  Pre-eminence 
OF  Christ.  We  have  in  tliese  verses  one  of 
the  most  profound  and  important  passages  in 
all  the  writings  of  Paul.  It  should  be  care- 
fully compared  with  those  in  Eph.  1  :  20-23 
and  Phil.  2  :  6-11.  Using  the  thought  of  the 
redemption  secured  by  Christ  as  a  transition 
point,  the  apostle  goes  on  to  discuss  the  per- 
son, the  glory,  and  the  pre-eminent  lordship 
of  Christ.  The  style  is  elevated  and  vigoyous, 
the  language  striking.  The  passage  is  not 
without  its  difficulties. 

15.  Who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible 
God.  On  the  use  of  the  present  tense  we  may 
remark  that  it  does  not  imply  that  at  the  time 
of  writing,  as  distinguished  from  either  past 
or  future  time,  Christ  was  the  image  of  God  ; 
but  it  sets  forth  what  is  true  of  Christ  at  all 
times.  Meyer  thinks  that  while  the  notion  of 
the  personality  of  Christ  in  every  manifesta- 
tion is  involved,  the  chief  reference  is  to 
Christ  in  his  pre-existent  state.  This  is  hardly 
necessary.  The  thought  is  a  general  one. 
Christ,  the  eternally  pre-existing  word,  the 
hu  manly  manifested  Son,  the  now  reigning  Me- 
diator, is,  in  all  his  characters,  and  at  all  times, 
the  '  image  of  God.'  Granting  this  much,  we 
find  no  little  diflSculty  in  exactly  interpreting 
the  expression   'image  of  the  invisible  God.' 


iWestcott  and  Hort  give  in  their  margin  iaxoi^fv  \  ai/ixoTo?  avroO  (/*ro«ffA  Ais  ft/ood),  is  justly  omitted  by  all, 
(we.  had),  instead  o{  (xo^ev  (ive  have),  but  on  insufficient  j  on  decisive  authority,  being  clearly  an  interpolation 
authority— B  and  some  Versions.    The  clause,  5ia  toO  I  from  the  similar  passage  in  Eph.  1  :  7. 


Ch.  I.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


15 


16  For  by  hiui  were  all  things  created,  that  are  in 
heaven,  and  that  are  in  earib,  vi^illle  and  invisible, 
whether  tia-ij  hi'  lhi')nes,or  doiuiniuns, or  principalities, 
or  powers:  all  thiugs  were  created  by  liim,  and  for 
him : 


IG  of  all  creation  ;  for  in  him  were  all  things  created, 
in  the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth,  things  visible 
and  things  invisible,  whether  thrones  or  dominions 
or  principalities  or  powers;   all  things   have   beea 


So  far  as  it  describes  the  bodily  manifestation 
of  God  in  the  human  person  of  Christ  during 
his  earthly  ministry,  the  meaning  is  clear, 
though  profound.  See  John  1  :  14  and  1  Tim. 
3  :  16.  We  should  say  that  Christ  was  thus  the 
visible  and  personal  representative  of  God 
among  men.  But  with  regard  to  the  pre-ex- 
istent  Word  what  are  we  to  say  ?  That  in  some 
sense,  even  before  his  earthly  life,  Christ  was 
the  outward  (if  such  a  word  may  be  used) 
manifestation  of  the  divine  nature  and  person  ? 
It  may  be  so.  The  creative  AVord  is  the  '  image 
of  the  invisible  God.'  Then  with  regard  to 
the  present  and  future,  are  we  to  consider  that 
to  the  angels  and  saints  in  glory  Christ  is  the 
manifestation  of  the  '  invisible  God '  ?  Here 
too  is  a  more  profound  question  than  we  ctin 
liope  to  answer.  But  whether  the  gioriiied 
body  of  Christ  is  tlie  ott^y  visible  manifestation 
of  Deity  in  heaven  or  not,  we  are  at  least  safe 
in  saying  tiiat  there,  as  here  on  earth,  he  will 
be  such  a  manifestation.  See  what  he  says  in 
reply  to  Philip.  (Johni4:9.)  But  let  us  not  fail 
to  note  that  the  very  difficulties  which  are 
raised  by  the  term  are  such  as  to  exalt  our  con- 
ceptions of  the  unspeakable  dignity  and  glory 
of  Christ,  and  that  is  the  object  the  writer  has 
in  view.  How  much  i.t  means,  to  say  of  hitn 
that  in  all  the  relations  of  his  being  to  other 
(especially  human)  beings,  Christ  is  the  like- 
ness and  the  representation  of  the  unseen 
God !  The  firstborn  of  every  creature. 
(Revised  Version,  "  all  creation.")  As  to  the 
rendering  of  the  words  (Trao-rj?  (crio-ecoj)  for  'all 
creation,'  or,  '  every  creature,'  the  commenta- 
tors differ.  Lightfoot  prefers  "all  creation"; 
Meyer,  "every  creature."  As  the  phrase  is 
rendered  in  both  ways,  and  either  one  gives 
here  substantially  the  same  sense,  it  is  perhaps 
not  possible  to  decide  with  positive  conviction. 
I  prefer  the  rendering  'all  creation'  as  more 
smoothly  fitting  the  connection.  The  real 
difficulty  of  the  passage  is  in  the  title  'first- 
born.' It  does  not  mean  either  (1),  that  Christ 
is  the  first  of' all  created  beings— that  is,  him- 
self being  created;  or  (2),  that  'all  crration  ' 
is  to  be  regarded  as  a  birth  from  God,  Christ 
occupying  the  first  place.  On  the  contrary, 
there  is  evident  contrast  between  the  ideas  of 


birth  an  A  creation:  they  are  not  convertible 
terms.  Christ  was  born,  the  universe  was 
created.  Now,  then,  the  expression  means 
that  he  was  'born'  before  it  was  'created.' 
He  is  the  Son  of  God,  '  Firstborn'  and  "Only 
begotten,"  before  there  was  any  "crea- 
tion." So,  therefore,  in  respect  to  '"all  crea- 
tion" he  occupies  the  relation  of  priority. 
From  this  it  follows  that  over  'all  creation' 
he  occupies  the  relation  of  supremacy, 
such  as  is  accorded  to  the  'firstborn,' 
and  such  as  is  j)re-eminently  due  to  the 
'Firstborn'  of  God.  [Is  it  not  safer  to  say 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  here  called  '  firstborn  of 
all  creation,'  because  he  is  (of  course  in  his 
higher  nature)  Maker  and  Head  of  all  created 
being,  representing  and  revealing  in  this  way 
the  perfections  of  the  invisible  God?  That 
his  position  in  respect  to  the  creation  is  like 
that  of  a 'firstborn  son  and  heir  in  respect  to 
the  inheritance  over  which  he  presides?  Com- 
pare the  language  of  Heb.  1  :  2,  seq.,  with  that 
of  Ps.  89  :  27.  "  I  too  will  make  him  the  first- 
born, highest  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,"  and 
with  Ps.  2  :  6,  7,  as  interpreted  by  Acts  13  :  32, 
33.  This  would  agree  with  the  next  verse 
which  appears  to  show  why  he  is  called  'first- 
born of  all  creation,'  and  'image  of  the  in- 
visible God.'— A.  H.] 

16.  For  by  him  were  all  things  created, 
etc.  In  this  and  the  next  verse  the  superiority 
of  Christ  to  all  creation  is  further  exjdained 
and  developed.  The  translation  of  this  verse 
in  the  Revised  Version  is  far  preferable, 
bringing  out  the  delicate  shtides  of  meaning 
in  the  Greek  more  clearly  than  the  Common 
Version.  '  By  him  "  (ei/  a\n<Z)  should  rather  be 
"in  him."  He  is  superior  to  all  creation, 
because  in  fact  '  in  him  were  all  things  created.' 
He,  in  his  presence,  power,  and  energy,  is  the 
element  or  sphere  in  which  the  divine  creative 
act  took  place.  Excellent  is  Meyer's  retnark  : 
"  'In  him,'  a  known  classical  indication  of  the 
dependence  of  a  relation  whose  causality  is 
contained  in  any  one.  ...  In  Christ  rested 
(causally)  the  creative  act,  so  that  it  occurred 
not  at  iill  independently  in  a  line  of  causes 
lying  outside  of  him,  but  had  in  him  its  essen- 
tially conditioning  ground."  So  in  the  spiritual 


u 


COLOSSI  A  NS. 


[Ch.  I. 


kingdum,  he  is  often  spoken  of  as  the  element 
or  sphere  in  which  the  ssiving  power  of  God  is 
manifest.  The  apostle  goes  on  now  to  specialize 
the  'all  things,'  to  emphasize  the  universality 
of  Christ's  creative  superiority.  That  are  iu 
heaven,  aiiU  that  are  in  earth.  Here  the 
whole  sunt  of  creation  is  locally  represented. 
But  as  if  this  were  not  enougli,  he  proceeds  to 
represent  it  in  its  relation  to  man's  apprehen- 
sion. Things  visible  and  invisible.  There 
is  difference  of  opinion  among  expositors  as 
to  whether  the  descriptive  terms  '  visible,'  or 
seen,  and  in  'earth'  are  to  be  taken  as  refer- 
ing  to  one  class  of  objects,  and  'invisible,'  or  un- 
seen, and  '  in  heaven '  to  another ;  or  whether 
some  tilings  'on  earth'  belong  to  the  'unseen,' 
and  some  things  'in  heaven  '  (as  the  heavenly 
bodies)  to  the  'seen.'  The  question  is  of  little 
importance.  The  apostle  would  say  in  most 
expressive  language  just  '  all  things,'  of  every 
kind  and  everywhere.  And  as  if  there  might 
be  still  a  lingering  doubt  as  to  unseen  things, 
he  adds  :  Whether  they  be  thrones,  or  do- 
minions, or  principalities,  or  powers. 
These  terms,  no  doubt,  refer,  here  and  in  the 
similar  passages  in  Rom.  8:38,  and  Eph.  1: 
20,  21,  to  unseen  creatures  superior  in  power 
and  knowledge  to  man;  namely,  the  angels. 
No  matter  what  might  be  their  various  orders 
and  dignities,  all  ()f  them  were  created  in 
Christ,  and  so  he  stands  superior  to  them  all. 

It  would  carry  us  too  far  to  enter  into  a  long 
discussion  of  the  interesting  questions  brought 
up  by  these  terms.  In  the  learned  notes  of 
Lightfoot  and  Meyer,  on  the  passage,  full  and 
sound  information  is  to  be  found  as  to  the  use 
and  meaning  of  the  terms.  The  article  by 
Kubel,  in  "Herzog's  Enc3'clopaedia,"  is  very 
good ;  and  Dr.  A.  H.  Strong's  discussion,  in 
his  "Systematic  Theology,"  will  repay  care- 
ful study.  Three  questions,  however,  require 
to  be  briefly  noticed:  (1)  Does  Paul  really 
teach  the  existence  of  angels  of  these  various 
ranks  and  orders?  On  this  point  three  opin- 
ions may  be  noted :  {a)  That  he  does  not,  but 
only  used  these  titles  as  current  in  the  Jewish, 
and  especially  the  Gnostic  angelology,  to  say 
that  "no  matter  what  you  may  call  these 
higher  powers,  Christ  is  their  Creator  and 
therefore  their  superior.  For  this  view  there 
is  a  slight  ground  in  the  phrase  "every  name 
that  is  named  "  in  the  parallel  passage  in  Eph. 
1  :  21.     (b)  That  he  does  in  these  expressions 


commit  himself  to  endorsing,  in  so  far,  the 
angelolog3'  of  the  time,  and  therefore  to  teach- 
ing the  existence  of  orders  or  ranks  of  angels 
to  be  designated  and  described  by  these  terms, 
'thrones'  being  the  highest,  next  to  God  and 
so  called,  either  because  they  are  near  and 
support  the  Throne  of  God,  or  because  they 
themselves  sit  on  thrones  as  approacliing 
nearest  to  God  in  glory  and  dignity;  next 
'dominions,'  or  lordships,  those  who  exercise 
power  or  lordship  over  the  lower  ones  or  men  ; 
then  '  {)rincipalities,'  or  pn.ncedo7ns,  those  of 
princely  dignity;  and  lastly,  'powers,'  or 
authorities,  those  who  exercise  power  or  au- 
thoritj'  in  the  lowest  angelic  order,  just  above 
men.  {c)  That  he  teaches  the  existence  of 
those  higher  beings  called  elsewhere  "angels," 
but  that  in  describing  them  he  simply  uses  for 
emphasis  the  current  phrases,  without  mean- 
ing to  divide  the  angels  into  orders,  or  to  assert 
that  these  are  really  their  correct  designations, 
but  only  to  say  that  there  are  beings  to  whom 
these  terms  are  applied  and  Christ  is  superior 
to  them  ail,  being  in  fact  their  Creator.  I  in- 
cline to  this  last  view. 

(2)  Whether  we  are  to  understand  these 
designations  to  apply  to  the  good  angels  only, 
or  to  both  good  and  bad.  In  Eph.  6  :  12,  the 
terms  "principalities  and  powers"  are  evi- 
dently used  of  the  evil  spirits.  But  it  is  not 
necessary  to  suppose  that  to  be  the  case  here. 
It  may  be  supposed  from  that  passage  that 
those  were  ''angels  that  kept  not  their  first 
estate,"  but  that  many  to  whom  these  designa- 
tions apply  remained  holy. 

(3)  Whether  Paul  does  not  intend  to  include 
also  earthly  'powers  and  authorities'  in  this 
list,  the  terms  referring  both  to  'earth'  and 
'visible,'  as  well  as  to  'heaven'  and  'invis- 
ible.' No;  it  is  better  to  understand  the  terms 
to  refer  simply  to  'things  invisible,'  and  in- 
terpret them  as  a  further  elucidation  of  that 
phrase  'things invisible,  whether  thrones,'  etc. 

Coming  back  to  the  main  thought,  the  apos- 
tle now  repeats  it  in  somewhat  different  and 
very  striking    language:    All    things   were 
created  by  him,  and  for  him.  In  this  state- 
ment are  to  be   noticed:    (1)    'All  things.' 
After  amplifying,  becomes  back  to  the  simple 
statement,  for  after  all   'all  things'   are  'all 
I  things' — no  more  can  be  said.  (2)  The  change 
[  of  tense.     Observe   the   correct   rendering   of 
I  the     Revised     Version    here,     "have    been 


Ch.  L] 


COLOSSIANS. 


17 


17  And  lie  is  before  all  things,  and  by  him  all  things 
consist : 

18  And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church:  who 
is  the  beginning,  the  tiistborn  from  the  dead;  that  in 
all  things  be  might  hare  the  preeminence. 


17  created  through  him,  and  unto  liini  ;  and  he  is  br- 
fore  all   things,   and    in     him    all   things    •  consist. 

18  And  he  is  the  head   of  the  body,  the  church:    who 
is  the  beginning,  the  firstborn  from  the  dead  ;    -that 


1  That  is,  hold  to_^ther '2  Or,  t?iat  among  all  he  Tnight  have. 


created"  instead  of  'were  created.'  They 
'were  created'  (aorist)  as  a  historic  fact, 
occurring  once  for  all ;  they  '  have  been  cre- 
ated '  (perfect)  and  so  continue  to  exist  as  a 
perpetual  fact.  (3)  Use  of  prepositions.  The 
universe  was  created,  (a)  'in  him,'  denoting 
tlie  sphere  or  element  of  the  creative  act ;  (h) 
'thrciugh  him,'  as  the  instrumental  personal 
channel  of  the  creative  energy;  (c)  'for,'  or 
'unto  him,'  as  the  divine  end  and  consumma- 
tion with  a  view  to  which  creative  power  was 
put  forth.  "The  Eternal  Word  is  the  goal  of 
the  universe,  as  he  is  the  starting  point.  It 
must  end  in  unity,  as  it  proceeded  from  unity, 
and  the  centre  of  this  unity  is  Christ."  (Light- 
foot.)  Elsewhere  (Eo.«.  ii:  :^fi;  Heb.  2:  lo),  such  lan- 
guage can  be  referred  only  to  God.  Wliy 
here  of  Jesus  Christ,  if  he  were  less  than  God? 
The  thought  goes  on  in  power  in  the  next 
statements. 

17.  And  he  is  before  all  things,  in  time, 
and  in  rank.  Note  the  use  of  the  present 
tense,  and  of  the  emphatic  'he':  'He  is.'  Cfun- 
pare  John  8  :  58.  Lightfoot  remarl<s,  "One 
[tiie  pronoun]  emphasizes  ihe  personality,  the 
other  [present  verb]  declares  the  pre-exist- 
ence."    And  by  (properly  m)  him  all  things 


reference  commonly  to  the  last.  See  ch.  1  : 
24;  Eph.  1  :  '22,  seq.  'The  body,  the  church, 
is,  of  course,  apposition;  'the  hoAy  which  is 
the  church.'  Certainlj*  not  i.uy  one  particular 
local  organization  of  believers,  but  the  general 
body  of  believers,  called  'bodj''  as  being  one 
living  organism,  though  having  many  mem- 
bers, controlled  and  directed,  unified  and  kept 
alive,  by  one  Head,  who  is  Christ.  Not  yet  is 
the  thought  of  his  glorious  supremacy  fully 
expressed, .and  the  apostle  proceeds — who  is 
the  beginning,  the  firstborn  from  the 
dead.  Franke  in  Mej-er  would  restrict  the 
reference  in  'beginning'  to  the  following 
'  from  the  dead,"  and  read  thus  :  '  "Who  is  the 
beginning — that  is,  firstborn — from  the  dead.' 
This  is  awkward  and  unnecessary.  It  is  better 
to  give  the  expression  (with  Calvin,  Ellicott, 
Lightfoot,  and  others)  a  broader  reference. 
He  who  is  called  in  Kev.  3  :  14  "the  beginning 
of  the  creation  of  God,"  is  also  the  'begin- 
ning' of  the  new  creation  represented  in  the 
church.  Lightfoot  well  saj-s:  "The  term 
[apxv,  origin,  beginning]  is  here  applied  to 
the  incarnate  Christ  in  relation  to  the  church, 
because  it  is  applicable  to  the  Eternal  Word  in 
relation  to  the  universe."     In  the  expression 


consist — that  is,  hold  together,  derive  their  i  '  firstborn  from  the  dead  '  quite  a  diflTerent 
2yerpetuity.  "As  the  causal  sphere  of  their  i  sense  is  to  be  noticed  in  the  term  'firstborn' 
continuing  existence."  (Ellicott. "1  "He  is  from  that  which  it  has  in  ver.  15.  Here  the 
the  principle  of  cohesion  in  the  universe.  He  I  reference  is  not  so  much  to  precedence  in  rank 
impresses  upon  creation  that  unitj' and  soli- i  as  t"  precedence  in  time.  Notice  that  it  is  not 
darity  which  makes  it  a  cosmos  instead  of  a  first  born  of  the  dead,  but  'from,'  or  out  of, 
chaos."    (Lightfoot.)     He  is  not  only  Creator    the  dead.     He  is  the /irs^  of  raised  and  glori- 


but  Sustainer  of  all  things.  W^hat  grand  lan- 
guage !  How  complete  is  the  statement  of  the 
case! 

18.  In  this  verse  the  glory  of  Christ  is  shown 
ill  his  relation  to  the  church — And  he  is  the 
head  of  the  body,  the  church.  'He'  is 
here  again  emphatic:  he  who  is  the  Creator 
and  Sustainer  f)f  the  universe,  even  he  is 
Head  of  the  church.  His  headship  of  the 
church  necessarily  follows  from  his  universal 
headship,  and  is  made  emi)hatic  thereby.  He 
is  called  '  Head  of  the  church,'  as  giving  to  it 
txistonce,  unity,  and  government,  with  special 


fied   humanity.       (l  C-r.  15:a0;  Heb.2:n-16;  Roni.8:29-) 

Others  had  been  raised  before  this,  but  finly 
to  die  again.  Enoch  and  Elijah,  and  perhaps 
Moses,  had  not  died.  In  the  sense  of  resur- 
rection from  death  to  life  eternal,  Christ  was 
first  of  all,  and  so  is  pledge  of  all.  (i  Cnr.  i5:20) 
"His  resurrection  from  the  dead  is  his  title 
to  the  headship  of  the  church  ;  for  the  '  power 
of  his  resurrection'  (Phii.3:io)  is  the  life  of  the 
church."  (Lightfoot.)  Still  the  thouglit  soars 
on,  and  we  come  to  the  expression  that  in  all 
things  he  might  have  the  preeminence. 
This  is  a  vigorous  renderijig  of  the-  sense  of 


B 


18 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  I. 


19  Fur  it  pleased  the  Father  i\idLi  in  him  should  all  I  19  in  all  things  he  might  have  the  preeminence,    i  For 
fulness  dwell ;  I        it  was  the  good  pleasure  uj'  the  Father  that  in  him 


1  Or,  For  the  whole  fulness  of  God  was  pleased  to  dwell  in  hi: 


the  Greek,  and  is  retained  by  the  Revised 
Version,  tlioiigh  it  is  not  literal.  A  literal 
translation  could  only  be  made  at  the  expense 
of  brevity,  as  thus:  "That  in  all  things  he 
might  become  himself  one  who  holds  the  first 
place."  This  sets  forth  his  primacy  in  all 
things,  from  the  dawn  of  creation  to  the  resur- 
rection day.  The  use  of  the  verb  'become' 
(yivcaeai.),  rather  than  'be'  (e'l-oi),  is  noticeable, 
for  the  distinction  is  everywhere  maintained 
in  the  New  Testament,  as  well  as  in  the  clas- 
sical usage.  The  becoming  first  here  is  to  be 
referred  to  the  completion  of  his  primacy,  or, 
as  Meyer  and  Lightfoot  hold,  to  the  "  his- 
torical manifestation"  of  his  primacy.  "As 
he  is  first,  with  respect  to  the  universe,  so  it 
was  ordained  that  he  should  become  first  with 
respect  to  the  church  as  well."  (Lightfoot.) 
Or,  more  correctly,  as  he  is  really  first  in  all 
things,  so  does  he  become  first  by  that  com- 
plete manifestation  of  his  power  and  glory, 
the  resurrectiun.  This  is,  as  it  were,  the 
crowning  act,  whereby  he  "comes  into  his 
own,"  whereby  his  primacy  is  fully  settled 
and  proclaimed.  Some  few  commentators 
would  restrict  the  meaning  of  'all  things' 
here  to  '  the  dead,'  and  render  :  "  that  among 
all  (that  is,  all  who  are  raised  from  the  dead) 
he  might  have  the  pre-eminence."  This  is 
grammatically  admissible,  and  gives  a  good 
sense,  but  is  not  broad  enough.  The  universal 
sweep  of  thought  in  all  the  context  seems  to 
forbid  so  narrow  an  interpretation. 

19.  Still  carried  along  hy  the  'glowing 
thought  of  Christ's  supremacy,  the  apostle 
makes  next  the  profound  statement  of  this 
verse:  For  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in 
him  should  all  (properly,  the)  fulness 
dwell.  The  'for' — or,  more  correctly,  be- 
cmise  (oTi) — gives  the  reason  for  the  foregoing. 
The  indwelling  fullness  of  God  was  the  cause 
of  his  resurrection  and  pre-eminence.  'The 
Father,'  or  God,  is  to  be  supplied  from  the 
self-evident  reference  in  '  it  pleased.'  In  vain 
would  it  have  pleased  any  being  inferior  to 
God  for  God's  fullness  to  dwell  in  any  one. 
This  is  so  plain  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  trans- 
late, "  It  pleased  the  fullness  to  dwell  in  him," 
which  would  be  grammatically  smoother.  This 


rendering  is  given  in  the  margin  of  the 
Revised  Version,  and  is  preferred  by  Ellicott. 
But  the  main  interest  of  the  verse  is  not  a 
question  of  grammar,  but  as  to  the  meiining 
of  the  term  'fulness'  in  this  connection.  It 
occurs  again  in  2  :  9.  The  meaning  is,  all  that 
which  is  filled  up  in  God;  that  is,  makes  up  the 
totality  of  the  divine  perfections,  the  complete- 
ness of  the  divine  character.  All  that  nuikes 
up  God  resides  in  Christ  by  God's  own  good 
pleasure.  The  careful  discussions  of  Light- 
foot and  Meyer  are  worthy  of  thoughtful  con- 
sideration. See  also  Thaj-er's  "Lexicon  of 
the  New  Testament."  Particularly  able  and 
satisfactory  is  Lightfoot' s  discussion.  ("Com- 
mentary on  Colossians,"  p.  255.)  He  shows 
that  the  usual  j>assive  sense  involved  in  the 
termination  of  the  Greek  word  for  'fulness' 
(jrA^pwjua)  is  here  maintained  when  we  take  the 
secondary  sense  of  the  Greek  verb  (jrAjjpoCi') — 
that  is,  "to  fulfill,"  "to  complete."  The 
"fulness"  (n-Aijpco/oio)  is,  accordingly,  that  which 
is  filled,  fulfilled,  completed  ;  and  so  the  com- 
plement, or  plenitude,  of  the  divine  perfec- 
tions. This  disposes  of  the  diflScultj'  as  to 
whether  the  word  should  be  taken  as  active, 
that  which  fills,  or  passive,  that  rvhicJiis  filled  ; 
the  sense  seeming  to  require  the  former,  the 
usage  of  the  Greek  the  latter.  But  by  con- 
sidering the  term  to  be  derived  from  the  verb 
in  its  secondary  sense  of  "fulfill"  or  "com- 
plete," the  passive  sense  is  retained,  and  the 
meaning  is  as  above  ex])lained.  Another 
question  is  as  to  whether  the  use  of  this  term 
'fulness'  (wA^pco/ita)  by  the  Gnostics  influenced 
Paul  in  the  use  of  it  here.  Baur  and  other 
hostile  critics  consider  that  the  use  of  this 
Gnostic  term  indicates  the  un-Pauline  author- 
ship of  the  Epistle,  inasmuch  as  the  developed 
Gnostic  use  of  it  belonged  to  a  later  time.  But 
both  Meyer  and  Lightfoot  have  very  satis- 
factorily disposed  of  this  objection.  For  (1) 
it  is  easily  supposable  that  the  use  of  the  word 
in  the  Gnostic  systems  of  a  later  date  had 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  Paul's  use  of  it 
here,  as  the  word  was  a  good  and  intelligible 
one  in  itself,  and  very  ai>propriate  in  the  con- 
nection. Or  (2)  the  more  probable  supposi- 
tion is  that,  as  the  tendencies  of  thought  which 


Ch.  I.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


19 


20  And,  h;iviiig  m:ide  peace  through  the  blood  of  his  )  ;iO  should  all  the  fulness  dwell ;  and  through  him  to 
cross,  by  him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  himself;  by  ,  reconcile  all  tliinus  'unto  '■'hiiuself,  having  made 
liiiu,  Isity,  whether  tkny  6e  things  iii  earth,  or  things  i[i  peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross;  through  him  / 

lieaveu.  |       iu^/,  whether  things  upon  the  earth,  or  things  in  the 


1  Or,  into  him 2  Or,  Aim. 


were  later  developed  into  the  various  Gnostic 
sj'stems  were  now  beginning  to  appear,  so  this 
terta  was  already  beginning  to  have  with  these 
tl'iinkers  a  peculiar  signification  ;  and  that  the 
apostle  very  happily  forestalls  its  later  use  by 
applying  it  here  to  Christ.  The  later  Gnostics 
used  this  word  pleromn  to  describe  their  con- 
ceptions of  a  great  divine  totality,  from  which 
various  enuniat'ions,  Christ  himself  being  one, 
were  at  different  periods  derived.  Now  if  this 
idea  was  beginning  already,  in  a  vague  way, 
to  take  shape,  how  well  might  Paul  say,  that 
so  far  from  Christ's  being  in  any  sense  deriva- 
tive from  a  divine  totality,  the  totality  of  the 
divine  perfections  does,  in  fact,  reside  in  him. 
We  should  not  fail  to  observe  the  use  of  the 
word  'dwell'  as  of  a  perinanent  abode.  It 
pleased  God  that  his  completeness  should  take 
up  its  abode  in  Christ. 

And  now,  as  the  long  sentence  draws  to  a 
close,  among  his  other  glories  the  atoning 
work  of  Christ  comes  to  view  : 

20.  And,  having  made  peace  through 
the  blood  of  his  cross,  by  him  to  recon- 
cile all  things  to  himself.  This  brings  home 
to  the  beli(!ver's  own  heart  the  great  glory 
and  power  of  his  Saviour,  who  is  the  universal 
Reconciler.  The  passage  is  difficult,  for  though 
the  general  meaning  is  apparent,  the  sugges- 
tions are  obscure,  and  the  grammatical  struct- 
ure is  uneven.  'Having  made  peace'  is  to 
be  referred  to  God,  as  the  implied  subject  of 
the  sentence  in  the  phrase  'it  pleased.'  He 
makes  peace  between  rebellious  man  and 
himself.  See  2  Cor.  5  :  20.  'To  reconcile  all 
things  to  himself.'  In  the  Greek  it  is  simply 
"to  him,"  the  pronoun  not  being  reflexive. 
Yet  it  seems  necessary  to  consider  it  as  refer- 
ring to  God  himself,  though  we  should  have 
expected  'himself,'  instead  of  the  simple 
"him,"  which  qranimatica lly  v/(m]d  refer  to 
the  pret^eding  'by  him,'  meaning  Christ.  But 
to  read:  'By  him  to  reconcile  till  things  to 
liim' — that  is,  Christ — would  be  awkward. 
To  'reconcile' is  to  "make  completely  other" 


(an-oKaTaAAao-o-cu) — that  is,  to  change  the  senti- 
ments from  enmity  to  love,  from  hostility  to 
obedience.  So  we  read  in  the  passage  already 
referred  to  (2Cor. 5:i9)  that  "God  was  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  unto  himself."  '  By  the 
blood  of  his  cross'  is,  of  course,  the  blood 
shed  upon  the  cross,  and  so  in  general  the 
atoning  death  of  Christ,  its  most  significant 
feature,  the  shedding  of  blood,  representing 
sacrifice  in  its  wholeness.  'By  him''  is  re- 
peated for  emphasis  and  clearness.  The  glor- 
ious Person  through  whose  active  energy  cre- 
ative power  was  put  forth  (ver.  lo)  is  the  same 
as  he  through  whose  atoning  death  the 
sin-estranged  universe  is  reconciled  to  God. 
Whether  they  be  things  in  earth  or  things 
in  heaven.  Bold  language!  Are  we  to  un- 
derstand the  last  clause  as  teaching  thtit  there 
are  heavenly  things  or  beings,  as  well  as 
earthl}'^,  that  need  to  be  reconciled  to  God  by 
the  work  of  Christ?  We  cannot  deny  it.  But 
it  may  be  that  the  language  is  only  employed 
to  denote  the  completeness  and  universality 
of  Christ's  saving,  reconciling  work,  as  affect- 
ing the  whole  universe,  being  suggested  by 
the  large  conceptions  of  the  entire  passage. 
It  may  be  taken  with  a  sort  of  understood 
hypothesis,  somewhat  like  our  Lord's  remark 
about  the  "ninety  and  nine  just  persons  that 
need  no  repentance."  Yet  it  is  not  impossible 
that  the  language  is  to  be  taken  literally. 
How,  then,  is  it  to  be  understood?  Lightfoot 
and  Ellicott  decline  to  enter  the  boundless 
field  of  speculation  opened  by  this  language. 
The  German  writers,  as  usual,  are  bolder. 
Meyer  rightly  rejects  as  unscriptural  the  no- 
tion that  the  lost  and  fallen  angels  are  so  rec- 
onciled. But  he  holds  that  "the  angels  them- 
selves, as  all  creatures,  owe  the  restoration  of 
their  relation  to  God  entirely  to  the  mediation 
of  Christ."  He  maintains  "that  our  passage 
affirms  that  the  lohole  universe  is  throuith 
Christ  reconciled  to  God,"  and  seeks  to  ex- 
phiin,  as  follows:  Inasmuch  as  sin  affects  (1) 
total  huinanity ;   (2)  even  the  inanimate  cre- 


^  The  second  *t  avrov  ("  by  him  ")  is  omitted  by  B  and  I  bracketed  by  Westcott  and  Hort.    But  it  is  most  prob- 
some  other  important  authorities,  and    is    therefore  |  ably  to  be  retained,  as  Lightfoot  rightly  judges. 


20 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  I. 


21  And  you,  that  were  sometime  alienated  and  ene- 
mies in  your  miud  by  wicked  worljs,  yet  now  liatli  he 
reconciled. 

22  In  the  body  of  his  flesh  through  death,  to  present 
you  holy  and  unblauieable  and  unreproveable  in  his 
sight : 


21  heavens.    And  you,  being  in  time  past  alienated  and 
enemies  in  your  mind  in  your  evil  worlcs,  yet  now 

22  1  hath  he  reconciled  in  the  body  of  his  flesh  through 
death,  to  present  you  holy  and  without  blemish  and 


1  Some  uucieul  riutfaorities  reuil  ye  have  been  reconciled. 


ation  (Rom.  8:19,  seq.) ;  (3)  further  also  the  fallen 
angels  who  are  under  the  wrath  of  God ; 
accordingly  (4)  the  death  of  Christ  removes 
the  curse  of  sin  and  points  to  the  coming  of 
Christ  to  judgment,  when  sin  shall  be  put 
down  and  the  harmony  of  all  things  be  re- 
stored. Franke,  in  commenting  on  this,  justly 
remarks  that  it  is  vague  in  the  third  and 
fourtii  particulars,  because  it  is  already  as- 
sumed that  the  hol^'  angels  have  not  sinned, 
and  that  there  is  no  restoration  of  the  fallen. 
Franke,  therefore,  goes  further  and  maintains 
that  there  are  imperfect  angels  ;  that  the  holi- 
ness of  angels  is  not  infinite ;  that  God 
"charges  the  angels  with  folly"  (jo1)4:i»); 
that  there  is  an  intimation  (i  Cor.  6 : 3)  of  a  judg- 
ment of  the  angels ;  and  accordingly  there  is 
reason  to  suppose  that  there  are  angels  and 
spiritual  beings  who  need,  in  some  sense,  rec- 
onciliation to  God;  and  that  for  these,  as  well 
as  for  sinful  man,  the  death  of  Christ  avails. 
It  is,  perhaps,  better  not  to  enter  on  so  bold  a 
speculation,  but,  with  the  more  sober  inter- 
preters, to  say  that,  while  the  language  hints 
such  things,  we  are  not  warranted  in  drawing 
such  large  deductions.  Yet  it  gives  a  grand 
idea  of  the  scope  of  Christ's  atoning  work,  and 
of  the  glory  of  the  ultimate  triumph  of  grace 
in  all  things  and  everywhere. 

21-23.  Christ's  Work  in  Them.  Having 
spoken  of  the  power  and  glory  of  Christ  in 
this  broad  and  striking  way,  Paul  goes  on  now 
to  describe  the  application  of  that  work  to  the 
Colossians  themselves. 

21.  And  you — as  a  part  of  the  'all  things' 
on  earth  that  are  reconciled.  The  statement 
is  made  of  their  former  condition.  That  were 
alienated  (or,  estranrjed) — that  is,  from  God, 
who  is  your  proper  Lord  and  Friend.     Ene- 


mies  in  your  mind   by  wicked  works — 

that  is,  op))osing  God  in  the  e.\ercise  of  your 
mind,  your  thinking  powers  exerted  in  oppo- 
sition to  God,  and  this  mentiil  enmity  exhib- 
ited in  'wicked  works.'  Some  (even  Meyer) 
interpret  as  if  the  enmity'  was  on  God's  part 
toward  them,  as  if  it  meant  "hated  by  God," 
instead  of  "  hating  God."  But  Lightfoot  is 
right  in  rejecting  this  representation  as  not  in 
accordiince  with  the  usual  Scriptural  lan- 
guage. The  Scriptures  represent  God  as  hat- 
ing sin,  but  not  as  hating  the  sinner,  who  is 
indeed  the  object  of  wrath,  but  also  of  mercy 
from  God.  Yet  now  hath  he  reconciled. 
Some  manuscripts  have:  "Ye  were  recon- 
ciled."* The  grammatical  smoothness  is  in- 
terrupted, as  so  often  in  Paul's  writings,  but 
the  sense  is  plain:  "You,  who  were  formerly 
estranged  from  God  and  even  hostile  to  him, 
God  hath  now  reconciled."  The  reconciling 
act  is  commonly  attributed  to  God.  Compare 
2  Cor.  5:  18-20.  The  'now'  goes  with  the 
past  (aorist)  tense  because,  though  the  act  of 
reconciliation  is  represented  as  having  oc- 
curred in  God"s  doing  once  for  all,  its  effect 
in  those  who  were  thus  reconciled  is  a  present 
existing  fact.  Meyer  and  others  quote  a  strik- 
ing passage  from  Plato  in  illustration  of  this 
unusual  construction. 

22.  In  the  body  of  his  flesh — that  is,  of 
course,  of  Christ's  flesh.  Christ's  human  body 
was  the  vehicle  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
purposes  of  "God's  grace.  AVhy  the  apostle 
should  have  written  '  body  of  his  flesh  '  instead 
of  simply  'his  body,'  has  given  the  commen- 
tators unnecessary'  trouble.  Some  (Olshausen 
and  others,  after  Bengel)  say  tiiat  it  was  to 
distinguish  the  human  body  of  Christ  from 
the  church  which  is  called  his  body  shortly 


1  We  have  here  a  very  interesting  variation.  Most  of 
the  aiithoi  jtios  read  as  the  Received  Text:  anoKaTriWa- 
fef  ("he  [hath]  reconciled"),  but  B  gives  oTroKTrjAAayrjTe 
("ye  were  reconciled"),  wliile  other  less  important 
authorities  give  variations  from  these.  The  choice  lies 
befVeen  these.  Tischcndorf,  witli  the  majority  of  the 
autlioritiis,  retains  tlie  usual  reading.  Wcstccitt  and 
Hort  gi.ve  B's  rendering  in  the  margin,  though  by  re- 


taining the  common  reading  in  their  text  they  evi- 
dently prefer  it.  Both  Lightfoor  and  Meyer-Franke 
adopt  the  reading  of  B  ("  ye  were  reconciled  "),  and  de- 
fend it  with  force.  As  the  more  difficult  reading,  and 
explaining  ail  the  variations,  it  may  be  correct,  and  is 
certainly  entitled  to  notice  as  a  i)rol)able  alternative, 
but  not  to  be  coutideutly  adopted. 


Ch.  I.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


21 


23  If  ye  continue  in  the  fnitli  groundfd  and  settled,  23  unreproveable  before  hiin  :  if  so  be  that  ye  continue 
anil  be  "not  moved  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel,  i  in  the  faith,  grounded  and  stedfast,  and  not  mnvi-d 
which  ye  have  heard,  mid  which  was  preached  to  every  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel  which  ye  heard, 
croaiiire  which  is  under  heaven;  whereof  I  Paul  am  which  was  preached  in  all  cieaiion  under  hea\eii; 
maile  a  minister;  whereof  1  Paul  was  made  a  minister. 

24  Who  now  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for  you,  and  fill  |  24      Now  1  rejoice  in  my  sutteriiigs  lor  your  sake,  and 


before.  Others,  that  it  was  because  of  Docetic 
errors  then  beginning  to  arise!  Meyer,  that 
it  was  to  eiiipluisize  tlie  contrast  between 
Christ's  mediation  and  that  ascribed  by  the 
errorists  at  Colosse  to  the  angels  wlio  liave  no 
fleshly  body!  Others  still,  tliat  it  was  so  ex- 
pressed as  against  tlic  ascetic  notions  that  the 
flesh  was  evil,  for  here  Christ's  fleshly  body  is 
represented  as  the  velucle  of  tlie  atonement! 
All  these  things  seem  to  ine  utterly  unneces- 
s;iry.  It  is  just  simply  an  emphatic  way  of 
saying  a  human  body — a  bod^'  subject  to  "the 
ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to."  No  need  to  seek  any 
deeper  meaning,  nor  -Any  need  to  condemn 
this  simple  explanation  (as  Meyer  does)  on 
the  ground  of  tautology.  The  Scriptures,  and 
alniostall  other  writings,  abound  in  such  rhe- 
torical emphasis.  Through  death  —the  means 
of  reconciliation,  and  requiring  a  human,  mor- 
tal body.  On  this  doctrine,  see  the  numerous 
similar  passages,  such  as  Rom.  8:3;  Heb.  2  : 
14-17,  etc.  To  present  you  holy  and  un- 
blameable  and  unreproveable.  More  ac- 
curately: "To  present  you  holy  and  unblem- 
ished and  unaccused  before  him."  'Holy' — 
as  devoted  to  God,  and  therefore  fit  for  his 
service;  'unblemished' — as  the  animals  of- 
fered in  sacrifice  were  required  to  be;  'un- 
accused ' — as  those  against  whom  no  successful 
accusation  can  be  made  before  God  as  Judge. 
It  is  not  certain  whether  this  presentation 
'before  him  '  is  to  be  regarded  as  referring  to 
the  judgments  of  the  present  life,  or  to  that  of 
the  final  day  of  accounts.  If  the  reference  is 
to  the  present  life,  it  means  that  one  object  of 
reconciliation  was  to  make  the  reconciled  even 
now  in  God's  sight  'holy,  unblemished,  and 
unaccused,'  because  even  now  that  process  is 
going  on  within  them  which  will  ultimately 
make  them  so  in  f;tct.  There  is  something  to 
he  said  for  this  view,  and  it  is  held  by  Light- 
foot.  But  the  reference  to  the  Final  Judg- 
ment is  more  in  accordance  with  Paul's  usage. 
See  Rom.  14  :  10;  2  Cor.  5  :  10.  This  view  is 
held  by  Meyer,  and  is,  I  think,  preferable. 

23.  If  ye  continue  in  the  faith.  The 
rendering  of  tiie  Revised  Version  is  more  ex- 
act: "If  so  be  that  ye  continue  in  the  faith." 


The  'if  hero  does  not  imply  doubt  that  they 
would  continue,  but  expresses  a  simple  suppo- 
sition. Of  course,  the  ultimate  appearing  be- 
fore God  without  blame  is  conditioned  on  the 
contiimance  of  that  which  establishes  the 
blamless  state.  'The  faith.'  It  is  a  question 
wliether  this  is  to  be  considered  as  referring  to 
their  faith,  and  so  to  faith  in  general,  as  the 
mode  of  reception  of  the  gospel ;  or  whether 
it  is  here  used  in  the  less  frequent  sense  of  the 
object  of  faith,  the  things  believed,  the  gospel 
itself.  For  this  latter  sense,  see  Gal.  1  :  23 ;  3  : 
23,  and  Jude  3.  Meyer  insists  on  the  usual 
sense,  the  faith  of  the  believer.  But  the  other 
view  seems  a  little  more  natural  here.  In 
either  sense  'faitli'  is  the  basis  upon  which 
they  are  to  be  grounded  and  settled,  and 
not  moved  away.  Compare  1  Cor.  15  :  58. 
The  last  expression  perhaps  refers  to  the  efforts 
being  made  by  the  false  teachers  at  Colosse  to 
move  them  away  from  the  true  faith.  From 
the  hope  of  the  gospel— for  this  also  is  a 
foundation.  It  is  a  sort  of  synonymous  ex- 
pression ;  the  gospel  is  embodied  and  repre- 
sented in  the  great  hope  it  gives.  Which — 
referring  to  'gospel.'  The  remainder  of  the 
verse  is  more  accurate  as  in  the  Revised  Ver- 
sion. Ye  have  heard — which  was  preached 
(heralded)  in  all  creation  under  heaven.  This 
is  not  a  fantastic  exaggeration,  as  if  he  were 
stating  an  actual  fact;  but  a  phrase  denoting 
the  universality  of  the  gospel  according  to  its 
spirit  and  tendency,  and  the  plain  command 
of  Christ.  Whereof  I  Paul  am  made  (bet- 
ter, became)  a  minister.  This  is  not  the  word 
for  servant  which  refers  to  the  Lord;  but  that 
which  refers  to  the  service  (SiaKovo^).  It  is  used 
byjPaul  of  himself  and  others  in  a  general 
way.  Sometimes  especinlly  applied  to  the 
oflHce  of  deacon,  to  which  it  has  given  name. 

24-29.  The  Apostles  Sufferixg, 
Work,  and  Purpose  in  the  Gospel. — The 
mention  of  his  having  become  a  servant  of  the 
gospel  naturally  leads  Paul  to  speak  now  of 
his  labors  in  its  behalf  This  he  does  with 
great  earnestness  and  force. 

24.  Who  now  rejoice  in  my  sntforings. 
The  best  authorities  omit  'who,'  so  that  it  is 


22 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  I. 


up  that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflictions  of  Christ  in 
my  flesh  for  his  body's  sake,  whicli  is  the  church: 


fill  up  on   my   part  tliat   which  is   lacking  of  the 
afflictions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh  for  his  body's  sake, 


best  with  the  Eevised  Version  to  begin  here  a 
new  paragraph  :   "  Now  I  rejoice  in  my  sutfer- 
ings  for  your  sake."     'Now'  is  not  simply  a 
particle  of  transition,  of  concession,  but  has, 
as  usual  when  it  begins  a  sentence,  its  strictly 
temporal  meaning.     It  is  not  so  easy  to  ex- 
plain as  a  note  of  time.     Meyer  suggests  that 
Paul    says    'now'    as    distinguished    from    a 
former  time  when  he  was  free  and   hard  at 
work:   "Now,  though  a  prisoner  and  not  as 
formerly  free  to  go  as  I  pleased,  I  rejoice,"  etc. 
Lightfoot  conjectures  that  it  refers  to  the  apos- 
tle's spirits,  as  much  as  to  say  that  there  might 
have  been  a  time  when  he  was  deeply  troubled 
and  disturbed  by  his  trials,  but  now  lie  rejoices 
in  them.     Neither  of  these  explanations  is  sat- 
isfactory.    It  is  not  necessary  to  su|)pose  that 
Paul  was  ever  unduly  depressed  by  his  suffer- 
ings.    Even  in  2  Cor.  he  shows  how  he  could 
at  the  same  time  feel  their  pressure,  yet  tind 
in  this  occasion  of  joy.     Nor  is  there  reason  I 
to  suppose  that  at  this  particular  time  he  took  i 
any  more  cheering  views  of  the  grace  of  God  | 
than  at  other-.     So  also  there  is  not  the  least  | 
necessity  to  go  back  with  Meyer  to  the  former  ; 
time  of  comparative  freedom.     It  strikes  me 
as  being  .simply  an  emphatic  'now' — without 
special   contrast   with   any   former  time,   but 
emphasizing  the  present:    Just   now,  at  this 
very  moment,  I  am  rejoicing  in  my  sufferings 
for  you.     'In  my  sufferings.'     These  are  the 
grounds  of  his  joy — ^the  things  that  gave  him 
joy;  not  merely  the  untoward  circumstances 
amid  v}hich,  notwithstanding  their  untoward- 
ness,  he  could  and  did  rejoice  for  other  rea- 
sons, but  rather  the  trials  themselves  gave  him 
joy.     This,    however,   not  because  they  were 
sufferings,  but  'suflTerings  on  your  behalf  — 
that  is,  for  your  benefit,   for  your  spiritual 
good.     As  much  as  to  say :  Since  my  sufl\;ring 
brings  good  to  you,  I  rejoice  to  suffer.     'For 
you ' — as  one  member  of  'the  church,  the  body 
of  Christ,'  mentioned  further  on.     'And  fill 
up' — present  tense,  expressive  of  a  continuous 
and  now  realized  effect  of  sufferings,  both  past 
and  present;    a  view  of  an   established   fact 
which  is  thus  a  now  existing  and  continuous 
process.     And  fill  up  that  which  is  behind 
of  the  atflictions  of  Christ.     There  are  sev- 
eral  difticultios  involved   in    this  strong  and 
unusual  mode  of  expression,  and  they  are  of 


moment.  As  was  to  have  been  expected,  in- 
terpreters differ  widely  as  to  the  exact  mean- 
ing. 

1.  The  word  translated  'fill  up'  in  the  Com- 
mon Version,  and  more  fully  "fill  upon  my 
part"  in  the  Revised  Version,  requires  notice. 
The  word  (<ii'Tai'ajrA>)pu))  is  a  double  compound, 
two  prepositions  {avri,  'instead  of  or  'over 
against,'  and  avd,  'up')  being  placed  before 
the  simple  verb  "to  fill."  This  is  the  only 
place  in  the  New  Testament  where  the  word 
occurs.  The  usual  form  is  the  single  com- 
pound (AvairKripCi,  "fill  Up").  The  question  is 
as  to  the  force  of  the  preposition  (avri,  '  instead 
of  or  'over  against'),  which  is  here  put  before 
the  more  usual  compound.  The  Common 
Ver^ion  ignores  it  entirely,  translating  'fill 
up'  as  if  only  the  simpler  and  more  usual 
word  were  here.  The  Revised  Version  tries 
to  bring  out  its  force  by  adding  "on  my  part" 
— that  is,  "as  compared  with,"  "over  against," 
Christ;  but  this  commits  the  version  to  an 
interpretation  of  the  meaning  which  is  by  no 
means  certain.  The  only  two  reasonably  sat- 
isfactory explanations  of  the  unusual  term, 
which  must  evidently  have  been  used  for  a 
purpose,  are  those  held  by  Meyer  and  Light- 
foot  respectively.  The  former  explains  the 
contrast  expressed  in  "  over  against"  (avri),  as 
involved  in  the  ideas  of  lack  and  completion — 
over  against  a  lack,  I  present  you  with  a  fill- 
ing up.  This  is  apparently  the  true  explana- 
tion, but  it  is  impossible  to  express  it  well  in  a 
translation.  Lightfoot  holds  the  rendering 
adopted  by  the  Revised  Version,  putting  the 
contrast  in  the  persons,  Christ  and  Paul. 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the  'afflictions  of 
Christ'?  The  view  taken  of  this  phrase  will 
help  in  deciding  the  meaning  of  the  entire 
passage,  and  hence  it  is  discussed  first.  (1) 
The  natural  and  obvious  meaning  is  the  suffer- 
ings which  Christ  himself  endured  in  his 
earthly  life.  Now  of  these,  which?  (n)  The 
whole  of  his  sufferings,  including  Gethsemane 
and  the  Cross;  or  (6)  his  general  suflTerings 
and  trials,  exclusive  of  his  expiatory  suffer- 
ings; or  (c)  his  expiatory  sufferings  alone? 
(2)  A  meaning  suggested  to  get  rid  of  the 
difficulty;  namely,  that  the  sufferings  here 
meant  are  those  of  the  clmrch,  which  is  the 
body  of  Christ;  and  so  her  persecutions  may 


Ch.  L] 


COLOSSIANS. 


23 


2)  Whereof  I  am  made  a  minister,  according  to  tlie 
dispensation  of  (iod  which  is  given  to  lue  for  you,  to 
fulfil  the  word  of  Uod ; 


25  wliicli  is  the  church  ;  whereof  I  was  made  a  min- 
ister, accurUing  to  tlio  '  dispensaiion  of  (jod  which 
was  given   me  to  you-ward,   to  fultil   the   word   of 


1  Or,  stewardship. 


be  called  tlie  'afflictions  of  Christ,'  tiie  Head. 
(:5)  Another  of  the  same  sort,  that  by  their 
'afflictions'  are  meant  the  trials  whicii  Christ 
jjiM-mits  to  come,  or  imposes  upon  his  people. 
Of  these  (3)  may  be  dismissed  at  once,  as  nei- 
tiier  grammatically  or  contextually  admis- 
sible; (2),  though  supported  by  great  names 
(Calvin,  Olsliausen,  even  Ellicott,  and  others), 
is  too  fanciful,  and  too  evidently  manufact- 
ured to  evade  a  difficulty.  Recurring,  there- 
fore, to  (1),  we  are  still  confronted  with  the 
question  as  to  what  phase  of  Chi  ist's  afflictions 
is  meant.  The  notion  that  his  expiatory  suf- 
ferings alone  are  meant  cannot  be  held,  for 
reasons  tiiat  will  appear  below.  We  are  left 
then  to  choose  between  the  views  designated 
above  as  {a)  and  (b).  It  is  hard  to  decide. 
"We  may  say  that  ia)  is  more  natural  as  the 
general,  all-embracing  description,  while  {h) 
(Meyer)  would  be  more  in  accord  with  the 
well-known  teaching  of  Paul  with  regard  to 
the  atonement ;  and  also  with  his  general  use 
of  words,  for  he  never  uses  the  word  'afflic- 
tion' to  describe  the  expiatory  death  of  Christ. 
Perhaps  the  best  way  to  put  the  matter  would 
be  to  say  that  by  the  term  'afflictions'  Paul 
means  to  describe  the  whole  course  of  Christ's 
earthly  sufferings,  but  without  special  refer- 
ence to  his  deatii  on  the  Cross.  So  we  have 
tiie  general  view  of  Christ  as  a  man  enduring 
afflictions,  not  a  special  view  of  him  as  the  sin- 
atoning  sufferer. 

3.  If  this  be  accepted  as  the  correct  view, 
what  is  then  meant  by  'that  which  is  behind 
(literally,  lacks,  uo-Tepij^iTa)  of  the  afflictions  of 
Clirist'?  In  what  sense  were  Christ's  suffer- 
ings deficient?  Certainly  not  in  the  sense  that 
his  atonement  was  incomplete,  that  his  death 
was  insufficient  to  atone  for  sin.  This  would 
put  aside  the  whole  New  Testament  view  of 
the  efficacy  of  the  atonement,  and  contradict 
a  prime  element  in  Paul's  own  teaching.  It 
simply  means  that  Christ  did  not  during  the 
course  of  his  human  life  experience  every 
kind  and  phase  of  suffering  for  his  people.  He 
was  not  shipwrecked,  he  was  nut  imprisuned. 
lie  did  not  have  daily  "the  care  of  all  the 
churches,"  and  so  on.  There  were  some 
'afflictions'  that  had  to  be  borne  and  suffered 


for  the  good  of  the  church,  which  Christ  did 
not  actually  in  his  human  experience  endure. 

4.  It  thus  becomes  plain  how  Paul  could 
'  fill  up  the  lacks.'  Not  at  all  that  he  could  by 
his  sufferings  add  anytliing  to  the  complete- 
ness and  sufficiency  of  Clirist's  atoning  pas- 
sion, but  that  tiie  Lord  had  left  out  of  his  own 
actual  experience  some  things  for  Paul  to 
suffer  for  the  sake  of  those  for  whom  he  had 
himself  died.  This  is  no  strange  tiiouglit  with 
the  apostle.  See  Rom.  8  :  17,  and  like  pas- 
sages. He  here  counts  it  a  joy  that  his  Master 
had  left  out  of  his  own  sorrows  something  for 
his  servant  to  'fill  up'  in  service  for  the 
church.  And  this  is  explained  in  what  fol- 
lows. The  interpretation  here  adopted  is  sub- 
stantially that  of  both  Meyer  and  Lightfoot, 
and  is  the  only  satisfactory  one.  For  the  other 
view,  see  Olshausen,  Ellicott,  Bengel. 

In  my  flesh  fur  his  body's  sake,  which 
is  the  church.  In  my  body,  for  his  body's 
sake.  Contrast  between  the  seat  of  Paul's 
suffering,  and  Christ's  mystical  body,  the 
mention  of  'flesh'  naturally  suggesting  'body,' 
and  this  the  figurative  body  of  Christ.  Of 
course,  'the  church'  is  here  taken  in  its  broad 
sense  as  the  general  community  of  believers. 

25.  Whereof  I  am  made  (literally,  became) 
a  minister.  See  on  ver.  *23.  According  to 
the  dispensation  of  (^od.  The  word  trans- 
lated 'dispensation,'  sometimes  "stewardship," 
literally  means  "house  niiinagement,"  and  is 
transferred  into  English  as  "economy."  It 
sometimes  refers  to  the  personal  management 
of  the  householder  himself,  and  someti-mes 
derivatively  to  the  management  of  the  house 
as  entrusted  by  him  to  a  servant.  This  last  is 
the  sense  here.  The  apostle  as  a  steward  was 
entrusted  with  this  part  of  the  'house  manage- 
ment' of  God.  His  work  and  service  was  that 
of  a  man  charged  with  responsible  office  by 
the  divine  Householder  whose  'house'  is  the 
church.  Which  is  given  to  me  for  you. 
The  office  of  steward  is  to  be  used  for  no  per- 
sonal ends,  but  ft)r  the  advantage  of  the  house- 
hold, of  which  you  at  Colosse  are  part.  To 
fulfil  the  word  of  God.  This  describes  the 
nature  of  the  task.  It  has  reference  to  the 
word  of  God,  and  hence  must  be  the  com- 


24 


COLOSSIANS, 


[Ch.  I. 


2()  Ereii  the  mystery  which  hatli  hcen  hiJ  fnim  ages 
and  from  generations,  but  now  is  made  manifest  to  his 
saiiils : 

27  To  whom  God  would  make  known  what  is  the 
riches  of  the  glory  of  thi.--  mystei'y  among  the  (jentiles; 
wliich  is  Christ  in  you,  the  liojie  ol  glory  : 

'lii  Whom  we  preach,  warning  every  man,  and  teach- 
ing every  man  in  all  wisdom;  that  we  may  present 
every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus: 


26  God,  p.ven  the  mystery  which  hath  been  hid  '  for 
ages  and  geueriitions :   but  now  haih  it  been  m.mi- 

27  tested  to  his  saints,  to  whom  God  was  pleai-ed  to 
miike  known  what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this 
mystery    among    ihe  (ientiles,   which   is   Christ   in 

28  you,  the  hojie  of  glory  :  whom  «e  proclaim,  ad- 
monishing every  man  and  teaching  eveiy  iiiiui 
iu   all    wisdom,   that   v\e    may   present  every  m:iu 


1  Gr.  from  the  ages  and  from  the  yeiieratio 


niunication  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel ;  and 
this  communication  must  be  full  and  com- 
plete. "To  proclaim  the  word  of  God  com- 
pletely, in  its  whole  meaning  and  extent." 
(Olshausen.) 

26.  Even  the  mystery — apposition  to 
'word  of  God.'  A  'myi^tery'  in  classical 
usage  was  some  secret  that  was  made  known 
to  initiated  persons,  but  kept  froin  all  others. 
Here,  as  usual  in  the  New  Testament,  it  refers 
to  the  hidden  purpose  of  God  in  the  gospel, 
which  could  not  have  become  known  without 


often  in  Paul's  writings.     'To  his  saints';  that 
is,  to  believers  in  Christ.     See  1  :  1. 

27.  To  whom  Liotl  would  make  known 
— rather  "willed  to  make  known,"  the  word 
'make  known'  (yviopiiia)  is  different  from  that 
recorded  above  'made  manife.-t'  and  implies 
the  communication  of  knowledge,  rather  than 
simply  the  exhibition  of  facts  or  truths.  What 
is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery 
among  the  Gentiles.  We  may  get  at  the 
thought  better,  perhaps,  by  a  change  of  lan- 
guage: ""What  is  the  richness  of  the  excel- 


his  revelation.  Being  revealed,  it  is  no  longer  j  lence  of  this  revelation  of  grace  as  it  is  pro- 
a  '  mystery  '  in  the  sense  of  a  secret  or  even  a  |  claimed,  not  to  a  select  few,  but  far  and  wide 
difficult  thing,  but  only  as  a  matter  which  re- I  to  all  nations."  Which  is  Christ  in  you 
quired  a  revelation  from  God  to  make  it  the  hope  of  glory.  Does  'which'  refer  to 
known.  i  'riches'  as  the  grammatical  rule  would  seem 

Which   hath   been    hid   from   (tfie)  ages    to   require;  or  to   'mystery'   as   the   leading 
and  from  (^Ae)  generations    Hasthe'from'    thought  and  term  of  the  whole  passage.  Either 


here  its  privative,  or  only  a  temporal  force? 
Lightfoot  says  the   latter,    hidden    from    all 


will  give  an  excellent  shade  of  meaning,  leav- 
ing the  general  tliought  the  same.     It  is  better 


times,  that  is,  during  and  since  all  past  times.  [  to  take  it  as  referring  to  'mystery,'  so  tliat  the 
But  the  proper  privative  force  of  the  preposi- i  thought  would  be:  "And  this  revelation  of 
tion  seems  to  be  required  by  the  contrast  in  j  grace  is  Christ  in  you,"  etc.  It  is  '  Christ  hi 
what  follows:  but  now  it  is  made  manifest  I  yoii,'  not  ''among  yoii,^  as  it  might  be  gram- 
to  his  saints.  What  then  is  the  meaning  of !  matically,  but  with  a  far  tamer  significance, 
the  terms?  The  only  difficulty  is  as  to  'ages,'  This  indwelling  of  Christ  is  of  course  by  faith, 
"generations"  evidently  meaning  the  men  of  i  See  Eph.  3  :  17.  Christ,  in  all  that  he  means 
all  past  times.  With  regard  to  'ages'  inter- |  and  represents,  dwelling  in  you — personally 
preters  differ.  Some  hold  that  it  refers  to  the  [  apprehended— made  your  own.  'Tiie  hope  of 
angels!  Others  that  it  means  the 'ages'  from  glory.'  Beautiful  figure.  Christ  in  the  soul 
the  beginning  and  so  inclusively  to  the  in-  is  the  hope  of  heaven.  'Glory'  here  refers, 
habitants  of  the  ages;  that  is,  all  intelligent  I  not  to  brilliant  excellence  in  general,  as  in  the 
beings  that  existed  before  the  creation  of  the    preceding  clause,  but  more  especially  to  the 


world.  Yet  others  (as  Lightfoot)  more  simply 
say  that  it  refers  to  the  '  ages  '  of  human  hii 


consummated  excellence  of  the  future  state, 
involving  the  bliss  of  heaven,  the  excellence 


tory   which   are   made  up  of  many  '  genera- i  of  the  saints,  and  the  triumph   of  the  Lord 


tions.'  This  is  decidedly  the  preferable  view, 
and  we  may  take  the  phrase  as  describing  all 
past  time,  and  in  its  picturesque  way  empha- 
sizing the  fact  that  never  before  had  God's  pur- 
pose in  the  gospel  been  plainly  and  fully  de- 
clared. '  But  now  is  made  manifest,'  or  it  tons 
vnanifested ;  a  change  of  construction  caused 
by  the  long  sentence  and  for  emphasis,  as  so 


Compare  Heb.  2:  10;  12:  22,  23. 

28.  Whom  we  preach — better,  "^)rrt<?/ff/m," 
as  in  the  Revised  Version  ;  or,  puhliah,  set 
forth  by  public  speech.  Warning  every  man 
— a  striking  word  in  the  Greek;  literally  it 
means  "putting  in  mind"  (voveerdv).  putting 
a  man's  mind  on  a  thing  by  putting  the  thing 
in  his  mind.      Teaching  every   man— the 


Ch.  I.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


25 


29  Whereunto  I  also  laliour,  striving  according  to  liis  j  29  perfect  in  Christ;  whereuiito  I  labour  also,  striving 
working,  wliich  workeih  iu  uie  mightily.  acciir..ing   to    liis   working,  which  worKelh    in   lue 

I        1  mightily. 

1  Or,  in  power. 


usual  word  for  'teach.'  Meyer  acutely  ob- 
serves, that  the  warning  corresponds  to  repent- 
ance, the  teaching  to  faith.  Note  the  em- 
phatic repetition  of  '  every  man '  here  and  in 
the  next  clause.  This  sort  of  repetition  is 
characteristic  of  Paul,  as  of  other  fervid 
writers  and  speakers.  It  gives  here  decided 
prominence  to  the  thought  that  the  higher 
Christian  wisdom  was  not  a  '  mystery'  (in  the 
strict  sense)  intended  for  a  few  initiates,  but 
was  a  revelation  of  God's  will;  for  'every 
man'  was  to  sh.ire  in  it,  and  every  man's  best 
development  b^'  it  was  the  object  of  Paul's 
earnest  endeavors.  The  repetition  also  gives 
us  insight  into  the  jj^i'SonaL  work  of  the  apos- 
tle. Men  must  be  preached  to,  not  only  in  the 
mass,  but  singly.  Compare  Acts  20  :  31.  In 
all  wistloin — that  ii^,  in  the  exercise  of  all  the 
tact,  skill,  prudence,  knowledge,  and  grace 
that  he  could  command  for  so  delicate  and 
noble  a  task.  All  is  needed.  Lightfoot  inter- 
prets the  [)hrase  as  ap])lying  to  the  subject  of 
the  apostolic  instruction  of  every  man  ;  that  is, 
that  he  teaches  tlie  highest  revealed  wisdom  to 
every  man,  as  contrasted  with  those  who  kept 
higher  subjects  of  speculaticm  for  the  favored 
few.  This  is  plausible,  from  the  course  of 
thought.  But  it  seems  more  natural  to  refer 
it,  with  Meyer  and  others,  to  the  wisdom  ex- 
ercised by  the  apostle  in  teaching.  Ellicott 
tries,  unsuccessfully,  to  combine  botli  views. 
That)  in  order  that;  denoting  the  end  in 
view.  We  may  present — that  is,  before  God 
as  judge.  See  ver.  22.  Every  man.  See 
abo  ^e.  Perfect,  full-grown,  fully  instructed, 
complete.  Compare  Eph.  4:  12,  13.  In  Christ 
Jesus;  Christ  is  the  sphere,  and  the  only 
sphere  in  which  such  perfection  is  attainable. 
The  best  authorities  and  editions  omit  'Jesus' 
and  read  simply  '  present  every  man  perfect 
in  Christ.' 

29.  Whereunto— that  is,  for  which  purpose, 
the  presenting  of  every  man  perfect  in  Christ 
Jesus.  I  labour — a  word  meaning  to  toil 
hard.  Striving— a  word  involving  the  stren- 
uous effort  of  a  conflict,  often  used  by  Paul. 
According  to  his  working.  The  striving  of 
the  apostle  was  not  in  human  strength  alone, 
but  in  proportion  to  and  in  accordance  with 


the  divine  energy.  Meyer  beautifully  says: 
"  So  Paul  points  at  last  away  from  that  wliich 
he  himself  does  and  suffers,  to  him  in  whose 
strength  he  does  all,  at  once  full  of  humility 
and  exultant  in  victory."  Which  worketh. 
This  power  of  Christ  in  him  shows  itself  ener- 
getic. In  me  mightily  —  or,  better,  as  in 
nnirgin  of  Revised  Version,  "'in  power,"  show- 
ing both  the  place  of  its  exhibition  and  tlie 
measure  of  its  exercise.  Vigorous,  descrip- 
tive, intense  language. 

ttOMILETICAL   SUGGESTIONS. 

Ver.  3-5  :  The  highest  attainments  of  the 
Christian  life,  and  those  calling  most  loudly 
for  devout  thanksgiving  to  God,  because  of 
their  being  attained  by  his  grace,  are  the  fun- 
damental principles  of  Christianity :  faith  in 
Christ  and  love  for  one  another.  So  thanks- 
giving for  the  noblest  gifts  must  have  an  un- 
dertone of  prayer  for  their  continuance,  ex- 
pansion, fruition.  Ver.  4,  5:  Love  because  of 
hope.  That  which  binds  us  to  heaven  should 
unite  us  to  each  other.  A  true  Christian  hope, 
is  more  than  a  selfish  longing.  Ver.  5:  'The 
word' — mode  of  communication;  'of  the 
truth' — basis  of  communication;  'of  the 
gospel' — fact  of  communication.  Ver.  6  :  1. 
The  presence  of  the  gospel — in  3'ou  and  in  the 
world.  2.  The  pov)er  of  the  gospel — bearing 
fruit  (Gat.  5:22),  and  growing.  3.  The  purport 
of  the  gospel — the  grace  of  God  in  truth. 
Ver.  11  :  The  measure  and  purpose  of  moral 
power.  Ver.  12:  Qualified  for  the  allotment 
of  the  saints:  1.  Mentally,  to  comprehend  its 
glories.  2.  Spiritually,  to  share  its  blessings. 
Ver.  13:  1.  Contrasted  conditions.  2.  The 
power  is  of  God.  Ver.  15 :  The  glory  of 
Christ:  1.  "With  respect  to  God,  he  is  his 
image.  (Heb.  i  :3.)  2.  With  respect  to  the  uni- 
verse, he  is  superior.  (Heh.i:6.)  Ver.  16: 
Christ's  superiority:  1.  To  visible  things.  2. 
To  invisible  things.  Incidental  but  conclusive 
evidence  of  Paul's  belief  in  the  divinity  of 
Christ.  Ver.  17  :  Christ  the  supporting  power 
of  the  universe.  The  coherence  of  the  universe 
is  not  due  to  blind  "  natural  law,"  but  to  a  reg- 
ulating presence,  a  controlling  power.  Ver. 
19:  Proof  text  of  Christ's  divinity:    1.  This 


26 


COLOSSIAXS. 


[Ch.  IL 


FOR  I  would  that  ye  knew  what  great  conflict  I  have 
lor  you,  iiiid  Jur  iheni  at  Laoilicea,  amJ/o;-  as  many 
as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh ; 

2  That  their  hearts  might  he  comforted,  being  knit 
togetlierin  love,  and  unto  all  riches  ot  the  full  assurance 
of  understanding,  to  tlie  acknowledgment  of  the  mys- 
tery of  Uod,  and  of  the  Father,  and  of  Christ ; 


CHAPTER  II. 
1 


For  I  would  have  you  know  how  greatly  I  strive 
for  you,  and  for  them  at  Laodicea,  and  for  as  many 
as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh;  that  their 
hearts  may  he  comforted,  they  heing  knit  together 
in  love,  and  unto  all  riches  of  the  ifuU  assurance 
of  understanding,  that  they  may  know   the   mys- 


1  Or,  fulness. 


fullness  shown  in  limits  even  in  his  earthly  life,  i  sense  very  well.  For  you— for  your  benefit, 
2.  To  be  more  fully  known  hereafter.  (Uoim  j  on  your  behalf^  The  'conflict'  or  'striving' 
3:2)  Ver.  22:  The  ultimate  purpose  of  recon- !  is,  as  just  stated,  that  referred  to  in  1  :  29;  or 
ciliation,  to  present  the  believer  before  God:  lit  may,  though  suggested  by  tiie  foregoing 
1.    Holy.      2.    Unbletnished.      3.   Unaccused.  |  phrase,   have  special  reference  to  his  intense 


Ver.  23:  Three  reasons  for  holding  fast  the 
gospel :  1.  They  had  heard  it  in  its  simplicity 
frotii  Epaphras.  2.  It  is  the  universal  hope- 
bringing  revelation  I'rom  God.  3.  It  is  min- 
istered by  the  apostle  himself.  Ver.  24:  Body 
for  body  :  1.  Paul's  body  a  means  of  sufferinj 


concern  in  prayer  for  their  good.  (*:''■!•)  And 
for  them  at  Laodicea.  See  4  :  13,  16.  Lao- 
dicea  Avas  a  city  in  the  same  region  of  country 
as  Colosse.  The  church  there  was  exposed  to 
the  same  dangers  as  the  Colossian  Church,  and 
was  similarly  addressed  by  letter.      And  as 


2.  Christ's  body  (the  church)  to  be  benefited    many  as  have  not  seen   my  face   in  the 


thereby.  Ver.  25:  The  ministry  a  steward- 
ship :  1.  Entrusted  by  the  Head  of  the  house- 
hold. 2.  Exercised  for  the  benefit  of  the 
household.  Ver.  26:  In  God's  time,  what 
liad  been  a  mystery  becomes  a  revelation. 
Ver.  27 :  1.  The  excellence  of  the  gospel — 
gloriously  rich.  2.  The  extent  of  the  gospel 
—not  for  Jews  alone,  but  for  all.  (1)  'Christ 
in  you' — by  faith,  love,  obedience.  (2)  'The 
hope  of  glory' — of  personal  excellence,  bliss- 
ful surroundings,  triumphant  truth.  Ver. 
28:  1.  Scope  of  preaching  —  warning  and 
teaching.  2.  Purpose  of  preaching — Christly 
perfection  of  the  believer. 


Ch.2:  1-5.   Paul's  Persokal  Interest 

IN  THE  COLOSSIANS. 

1.  For  I  would  that  ye  knew — better,  the 
Eevised  Version,  "For  I  would  have  you 
know";  but  better  still,  and  more  literal, 
'For  I  wish  you  to  know.''  The  'for'  goes 
back  to  1  :  29,  especially  to  'striving.'  Con- 
flict, hero,  is  the  noun  from  which  the  verb 
'to  strive'  is  made.  So  the  reference  of  this 
'for'  would  be  plainer  if  we  should  read  1  : 
29,  in  connection  with  this  verse  :   '  I  toil  striv- 


flesh.  This  is  not  perfectly  clear.  1.  It  may 
mean  that  the  Christians  at  Colosse  and  Lao- 
dicea,  like  otiiers,  had  not  seen  his  face;  but 
this  did  not  hinder  his  earnest  concern  {or 
their  spiritual  welfare.  2.  Or  it  maybe  that 
only  those  in  Laodicea  had  not  seen  him,  but 
for  them  and  others  like  them,  as  well  as  for 
his  personal  acquaintances,  he  felt  this  in- 
terest. 3.  Or  that  even  for  those  who  (.not 
like  the  brethren  at  Colosse  and  Laodicea,  who 
knew  him)  had  never  seen  him  tit  all,  he  felt 
this  concern,  and  how  inuch  more  for  them. 
Of  these,  both  on  grammatical  and  contextual 
grounds,  I  prefer  the  first,  because  the  fol- 
lowing expression  '''their  hearts"  would  more 
naturally  include  all  three  of  the  cases 
mentioned — 'you,'  'them  at  Laodicea,'  and  'tis 
many  as  have  not  seen.'  His  concern  was  for 
all  whom  he  could  help,  and  whom  he  knew 
of  through  others,  even  though  he  was  not 
personally  acquainted  with  them. 

2.  That  their  hearts  might  (better,  may) 
be  comforted.  'That'  is  here  in  order 
that,  expressing  the  purpose  of  his  earnest 
concern  for  them.  'Comforted'  is  hardly 
"confirmed,  strengthened"  (Lightfoot),  but 
should  rather  retsiin  its  usual  significance. 
Amid  the  perils  and  trials  of  the  time  they 


ing  .  .  .  for  I  want  you  to  know  how  great  a 

strife   I   have.'     The   Revised  Version,  by  a  1  needed  just  such  comfort  as  the  assurance  of 

slight  change  of  construction,  brings  out  the  I  an  apostle's  earnest  prayers  for  them  would 

1  Question,    whether    to    read    »repi    ("concerning,"  I  better  attested    and   adopted    by  Westcott  and   Ilort, 
"  about"),  or  i-irep  ("  for,"  "  iu  behalf  of").    The  latter  [  Tischendorf,  and  Lightfoot. 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


27 


bring,  and  tliis  comfort  received  by  them 
would  be  manifest  in  their  being  united  in 
love.  Being  knit  together  in  love  (bet- 
ter, as  the  Revised  Version,^  "tliey  being 
knit.")  The  construction  changes,  as  by 
'their  hearts'  he  really  meant  theinselves. 
Tills  phrase,  'they  being  knit  together  in 
love,'  is  a  strong  and  striking  expression  for 
complete  union  in  Christian  love.  It  is  de- 
scriptive of  the  comfort  they  were  to  have. 
How  it  increases  comfort  for  those  who  have 
a  common  need  of  it  to  be  united  in  love !  In 
love — as  the  element  in  which  their  union 
occurs;  unto  ail  riches,  etc. — as  the  purpose 
or  end  in  view,  or  result  to  be  resiched  by  their 
being  thus  consolingly  knit  together.  Of  the 
full  assurance  of  understanding  (or,  co^n- 
pieieaess  of  understanding).  A  full  assurance 
of  divine  truth  by  understanding  it  is  indeed 
a  rich  possession.  To  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  mystery.  Read  with  the  Re- 
vised Version,  "that  they  may  know  the  mys- 
tery," which,  though  a  change  in  the  con- 
struction, brings  out  the  sense.  'Acknowl- 
edgment' is  a  wholly  wrong  translation,  and 
suggests  an  idea  entirely  foreign  to  the  pas- 
sage. It  is  a  surprising  mistake  in  the  King 
James  translators  in  which  they  departed 
from  the  earlier  English  versions,  being  prob- 


ably misled  by  the  Vulgate  in  agnltionem,  or 
acknowledynient.  The  Greek  word  (ciriyvwo-is) 
means  rather  "comprehension,"  "complete 
knowing,"  "full  knowledge."  The  thought 
is  that  their  full  understanding  niiglit  rise  to 
a  clear  comprehension  of  '  tlie  mystery '  (or, 
revealed  will)  of  God.  One  passage,  quoted 
by  Liddell  and  Scott,  gives  the  word  the 
meaning  of  "acknowledgment,"  but  this  is 
rare  in  classical  Greek,  and  it  never  has  that 
meaning  in  the  New  Testament.  The  Vul- 
gate rendering  is  ambiguous,  and  so  misled 
the  Revisers  of  1011.  On  'mystery,'  see  note 
on  1  :  26.  Of  God,  and  of  the  Father,  and 
of  Christ.  The  te.\t  is  here  very  uncertain.* 
The  most  probably  correct  text  is  simply  'Of 
God,  of  Christ.'  A  question  as  to  the  mean- 
ing then  arises.  Three  constructions  have 
been  proposed:  1.  "Of  the  God  of  Christ" 
— that  is,  the  '  mystery' '  revealed  by  the 
God  whom  Christ  represents  and  makes 
known.  This  is  Meyer's  interpretation.  It 
is  harsh  and  unnatural,  and  not  supported  by 
usage.  2.  "Of  God,  that  is,  Christ,"  so  taking 
"Christ"  as  in  apposition  with  "God."  Tiiis 
is  grammatical  and  is  theologically  correct, 
but  it  is  not  in  accord  with  Paul's  usual  style, 
and  is  not  so  conformable  to  the  context  as 
the    following.     3.   "Of  God,   even   Christ." 


1  Westcntt  and  Hort,  Tiscliendorf,  Lightfoot,  Meyer- 
Franke,  all  read  <Tun/3i3acreeVT€s  (Revised  Version,  "/Aey 
being  linit  together,"  referring  to  the  persons),  and 
not  (TUM^'lSao-eci'Taji/ ("  being  knit  together,"  referring 
to  their  hearts),  after  the  best  authorities,  X*  A  B  C.etc. 

2  One  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  textual 
difficulties  in  this  Epistle,  and  indeed  in  the  whole  New 
Testament,  meets  us  here.  It  lies  in  the  words  follow- 
ing jiuo-TTjpiou  ('  mystery  ').  Lightfuot  enumerates  fully 
eleven  variations  I  Thus  the  authorities  are  apparently 
hopelessly  divided ;  and  it  would  seem  impossible  to 
form  a  decided  opinion.    Here  are  the  readings : 

1.  ToC  9(ov,  xpio'ToO  ("of  God,  Christ").  B,  Hilary  of 
Poitiers,  Tisehendorf,  Lightfoot,  Meyer-Franke,  West- 
colt  and  Hort  fthough  Hort  doubtfully). 

2.  ToO  6eou  b  iariv  xpicrrds  ("of  God,  which  [that  is, 
the'  mystery']  is  Clirist").  D,  d,  e,  Vigillus,  Augus- 
tine. 

3.  Tou  Sfou  iv  xp'o-TuI  ("  of  God  in  Christ"),  17.  (with 
ToO  also  before  ei-).  Clement  of  Alexandria,  twice,  and, 
with  some  minor  variations,  Ambrosiaster,  Armenian 
Version. 

4.  ToO  »»oO  ("  of  God  ").     D5  P  37.  67.2  71.  80.  llfi. 

5.  ToO  Stov  warpos  xP'<^'''oO  ("of  God  the  Father  of 
Chri.st  ■').  X  *  •'^  C  4.  (.\  C  1.  toO  before  XP-)  Memphi- 
tic,  Thebaic,  Arabic,  some  manuscripts  of  the  Vulgate. 


6.  ToO  SeoO  Kttl  TTOTpos  ToO  xpicTTov  ("  of  thc  God  and 
Father  of  Christ").  X  "  and  a  corrector  in  the  Har- 
clean  Syriac. 

7.  ToO  Oeov  narphi  xal  toO  xpi'^'ToC  ("  of  God  the  Father 
and  of  Christ ').  47.  73.  Peshito,  some  Fathers,  with 
variations. 

8.  TOU  0(ov  Ka.\  jrarpos  KoX  toO  xP"""oO  ("  of  God  and  of 
the  Father  and  of  Christ").  D^KL,  most  cursives, 
Harcleau  Syriac  (text),  Theodoret,  and  other  Fathers. 

These  are  the  most  important  variations.  It  will 
seem  pretty  clear  on  examination  that  all  of  these,  ex- 
cept the  third,  are  attempts  to  explain  the  difflculty  in 
the  first,  and  that  they  are  therefore  really  so  many 
testimonies  to  the  genuineness  of  the  first  and  the  pur- 
ity of  B.  This  is  the  view  taken  by  Lightfoot,  Meyer- 
Franke,  Westcott  and  (apparently)  Tisehendorf.  It 
appears,  on  the  whole,  most  probable.  Hort,  however, 
not  seeing  how  the  second  could  be  derived  from  tho 
first,  thinks  that  its  existence,  though  so  slenderly  su|>- 
ported,  throws  doubt  on  the  genuineness  nf  ilie  first, 
and  he  seems  inclined  to  read,  conjecturally,  tou  ev 
XptffTo)  ("  which  is  in  Christ"),  as  giving  an  explana- 
tion both  of  the  first  and  second.  This  is  very  precar- 
ious; and  it  appears  pretty  conclusively  that  the  first 
must  be  accepted.    This  the  Revisers  have  done. 


28 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  II. 


3  In  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge. 

■i  And  this  I  say,  lest  any  man  should  beguile  you 
with  enticing  words. 

5  For  though  I  be  absent  in  the  flesh,  yet  am  I  with 
j'ou  in  the  spirit,  joying  and  beholding  your  order,  and 
the  steadfastness  of  your  tailh  in  Christ. 

6  A.s  ye  have  therefore  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord, 
so  ivalk  ye  in  him : 


3  tery    of  God,   ^  even  Christ,    in    whom    are  all   the 

4  ireasiires  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  hidden.  This 
I   say,  that    no    one    may    delude    you    with    jier- 

5  suasiveuess  of  speech.  For  though  I  am  absent  in 
ihe  flesh,  yet  am  I  with  you  in  ihe  spiril,  joying 
and  behoUliug  your  order,  and  the  siedfastuess  of 
your  faith  in  Christ. 

G      As  therefore   ye  received  Christ  Jesus   the   Lord, 


:  The  aticieul  authoriiies  vary  much  in  the  texc  of  this  pa 


Tliis  puts  "Christ"  in  apposition  with  "mys- 
tery," the  myster^'^  of  God,  which  mystery  is 
Christ.  This  is  also  grammatically  correct, 
suits  tlie  conte.vt  well,  resetnbles  the  modes  of 
e.xpression  in  1  :  27  and  in  1  Tim.  3  :  16,  and 
so  is  decidedly  preferable  to  the  other  two. 
See  the  excellent  notes  of  Ellicott  and  Light- 
foot,  both  of  whom  adopt  and  defend  this 
view. 

3.  In  whom  (in  Christ)  are  hid,  etc.  Bet- 
ter read,  as  in  the  Kevised  Version,  "  In  whom 
are  all  the  treasures  .  .  .  hidden."  These 
treasures  are  'in  him,'  and  they  are  'hid- 
den.' Yet  this  does  not  mean  that  they  are 
hidden  in  the  sense  of  concealed,  or  destined 
to  concealment,  but  rather  as  laid  up,  stored 
away,  waiting  to  be  revealed  when  God  shall 
see  fit.  Compare  1  Cor.  1  :  7.  Tliese  treasures 
are  hidden  from  the  unspiritual  and  self-sutfi- 
cient.  But  they  are  in  Christ  for  all  who  will 
come  to  him.  It  is  possible  that  Lightfoot's 
ingenious  suggestion  of  a  reference  here  to  the 
"hidden  wisdom"  of  the  false  teachers  may 
be  correct.  They  prided  themselves  on  hav- 
ing a  higher  wisdom,  which  was  kept  hidden 
from  the  common  herd  and  made  known  only 
to  the  favored  few.  So  it  is  as  if  Paul  would 
say:  "Your  false  teachers  speak  of  hidden 
wisdom  for  the  initiated  only,  but  I  say  that 
iji  Christ  are  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge;  they  are  'hidden'  indeed  from 
those  who  refuse  him,  but  richly  stored  up  for 
any  and  all  who  accept  him  as  Lord;  'hid- 
den' in  part  even  from  these,  but  being  ever 
more  and  tnore  revealed,  until  the  full  reve- 
liition  shall  come."  Wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge here  are,  of  course,  not  the  divine  attri- 
butes, but  the  objects  of  human  attr.inment. 
There  are  stored  up  in  Christ  rich  treasures 
of  divine  truth  which  it  is  true  knowledge  to 
acquire,  the  best  wisdom  to  apply. 

4.  And  this  I  say— referring  to  what  is 
contained   in  ver.  1-3:    "(l)The  declaration 


that  all  knowledge  is  comprehended  in  Christ; 
(2)  the  expression  of  his  own  personal  anxiety 
that  they  should  remain  steadfast  in  this  con- 
viction. This  last  point  explains  the  language 
that  follows."  (Lightfoot. )  Lest  any  man 
(or,  that  no  one^)  may  beguile  you — reason 
you  away  from  your  convictions,  a  word  often 
used  in  classical  Greek.  With  enticing 
words  (or,  persuasiveness  of  SjDeec/*)— with 
plausible  arguments,  as  the  false  teachers  were 
then  tr^'ing  to  do. 

5.  For  though  I  be  absent.  See  ver.  1. 
With  you  in  the  spirit— that  is,  in  thought, 
heart,  and  concern  ;  there  is  no  reference  to 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Joying  and  beholding— 
that  is,  rejoicing  to  see.  This  seems  to  be  the 
simplest  way  to  construe  the  rather  unusual 
arrangement.  Ellicott  and  Meyer  discuss  the 
nuitter  elaborately,  but,  after  all,  not  very 
satisfactorily.  Your  order — that  is,  your 
orderline-s  in  walk  and  behavior.  And  the 
steadfastness  of  your  faith  in  Christ 
(rather,  the  solid  foundation  of  yoiir  faith). 
As  Ellicott  remarks,  it  is  agreeable  to  know 
that  the  Colossians,  though  tried  by  false 
teachers,  were  substantially  sound  in  faith. 
Some  (as  Lightfoot)  take  the  words  in  a  mili- 
tary sense,  'order'  or  "array"  as  of  an  armj'^ 
drawn  up  in  line,  and  'solidness '  as  of  a  pha- 
lanx or  legion,  solidly'  ojjposed  to  the  enemy. 
The  referejice  is  possible,  but  hardly  natural, 
in  this  connection,  and  rather  fanciful. 

6,  7.    A  Gkneral  Exhortation. 

6.  As  ye  have  therefore  received.  Better 
omit  'have';  the  tense  is  not  the  ))erfect,  but 
the  past  indefinite.  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord. 
Note  that  it  is  not  merely  abstract  truth  that 
they  received,  but  the  personal  '  Christ  Jesus.' 
It  is,  as  Meyer  observes,  a  .solemn  statement 
of  the  essential  principle  of  the  faith  they  re- 
ceived, the  Christ,  that  is  Jesus,  in  his  oflRce 
and  character  as  Lord.  Following  out  this 
last  thought  ct)nies  the  command.     So  walk 


'Read  Mi^fis  ("no  one"),  instead  of  mi?  ti?  (;' lest  any  one"),  with  Tischendorf,  Westcott  and  Ilorl,  Lightfoot, 
Meyer-I-'ranke  following  ail  the  better  authorities. 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


29 


7  Rooted  and  built  up  in  him,  and  stablished  in  the 
faith,  as  ye  liave  been  taught,  abounding  therein  with 
thanksgiving. 

8  Beware  lost  any  man  spoil  you  through  philosophy 
and  vain  deceit,  after  the  tradition  of  men,  after  the 
rudiments  of  the  world,  and  not  after  Christ. 


7  so  walk  in  him,  rooted  and  builded  up  in  hirn.and 
stablished  'in  your  laith,  even  as  ye  were  laught, 
abounding  -  in  thanksgiving. 

8  iiTake  lieed  lest  there  shall  be  any  one  that 
maketli  spoil  of  you  through  his  philosophy  and 
Viiin   deeeit,  after   the   tradition   of  men,  after  tlie 


1  Or,  by 2  Some  iinciint  auihoriiies  ins 


it 3  Or,  See  whether. 


ye  in  him.  The  'walk'  is  a  common  Bible 
phrase  for  the  'conduct,'  or  the  'manner  of 
life.'  Here  it  is  the  same  as  saying,  "  Livfijn 
accordajicewHli  th^_j2rijudiikfi_^u  received 
wiien  you  a£cepted_Ckckt__aa_iSaviour  and 
Lord." 

7.  Rooted  and  bnilt  up  in  him.  He  de- 
fines more  purlieu iarly  the  cliaracteristics  of 
this  walk:  'Rooted  in  him,'  as  tlie  soil  in 
which  the  tree  is  planted  and  by  which  it 
grows.  'Built  up  in  him,'  as  the  foundation 
upon  which  the  superstructure  of  a  just  char- 
acter is  reared.  Stablished  in  the  faith — or, 
more  probably  confirmed  by  faith,  as  the 
medium  of  connection  with  Christ.  Abound- 
ing therein  with  thanksgiving — or,  abound- 
ing in  thanksgiving,^  as  the  suitable  frame  of 
mind  for  one  who  enjoj'S  such  blessings.  Ob- 
serve the  change  back  and  forth  of  the  tenses 
of  these  participles.  '  Kot)ted  '  is  perfect,  de- 
scribing a  fact  iicconiplished  in  the  i)ast  when 
they  took  Clirist  for  tiieir  Lord,  but  in  its  re- 
sults still  abiding;  'built  up,'  or  rather  bci7ig 
built,  is  present,  describing  a  continuous  pro- 
cess going  on  as  a  consequence  of  the  otlier; 
'confirmed'  is  perfect,  again  taking  the  mind 
back  to  the  past  act  of  faith,  resulting,  however, 
still  in  their  firm  stand;  'tibounding'  is  pres- 
ent, again  pointing  to  what  should  be  a  con- 
tinuous and  habitual  state  of  mind.  Observe, 
too,  the  rapid  change  of  metaphors:  rooted, 
built,  confirmed,  all  giving  vividness  and  full- 
ness to  the  description  of  this  state  in  Christ. 
As  ye  have  been  (better,  were)  taught — 
that  is,  by  Epaphras.  (i :  i-) 

8-33.  Special  Warning  against  the 
False  Teachings  at  Colosse. — The  main 
diflficulties,  as  well  as  the  leading  interest  of 
the  Epistle,  centre  in  this  passage.  For  the 
nature  of  the  false  teachings  at  Colosse,  see  the 
"  Introduction,"  and  more  especially  the  care- 
ful discussions  of  Lightfoot  and  Meyer.     The 


three  leading  errors  combated  in  the  passage 
appear  to  be :  (1)  A  fiilse  philosophy ;  (2)  a 
burdensome  ceremonialism ;  (3)  a  rigid  and 
worthless  asceticism,  all  leading  away  from 
Ciirist. 

8.  Beware  lest  any  man  spoil  yon.  The 
warning  begins  in  general  terms.  'Spoil  you:' 
This  is  not  in  the  sense  of  "corrupt"  you, 
which  the  Greek  does  not  have  at  all,  and  is 
only  an  ambiguity  of  the  English  transhttion ; 
nor  in  the  sense  of  "despoil,"  "rob"  you; 
but  is  more  literally  given  in  the  Revised  Ver- 
sion, "make  spoil  of  you."  The  Greek  is  very 
vigorous  and  definite,  presenting  to  the  mind 
the  picture  of  a  person  dragging  away  another 
as  his  booty.  The  form  of  tlie  Greek  (future 
indicative),  which  is  clearly,  albeit  a  little 
clumsily,  expressed  in  the  Revised  Version, 
shows  that  it  was  a  real  and  not  simply  a  sup- 
posable  danger  which  the  apostle  has  in  mind. 
Though  the  indefinite  mode  of  expression, 
'any  one'  (ns),  is  used,  a  definite  set  of  per- 
.sons,  or  possibly  one  person,  is  clearly  in  view. 
Compare  our  own  use  of  the  expression,  "a 
certain  person."  Sotnewhat  as  if  he  would 
say:  "Take  heed;  it  looks  as  if  somebody 
were  going  to  drag  you  away  as  spoil." 

Through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit — 
that  is,  what  passed  for  philosophy  and  was 
empty  delusion.  Taking  the  fair  name  of  phi- 
losophy, it  was  really  deception,  empty  of  all 
good,  and  unable  to  satisfy  mind  or  heart.  The 
particular  form  of  so-called  '  ])hilosophy  '  to 
which  the  Colossians  were  exposed  was  a  theo- 
sophic  speculation,  in  which  the  follies  of  the 
later  Gnosticism  were  already  beginning  to 
appear.  (See  "  Introduction.")  All  the  Com- 
mentators remark  that  the  absence  of  both 
article  and  preposition  before  'A'ain  deceit'  in 
the  Greek  shows  that  this  is  not  a  separate 
idea,  biit  a  characterization  of  the  'philos- 
ophy.'    This   is  of  course   not  philosophy  in 


1  More  literally,  ahounding  in  it,  in  Ihank.ifjivi.nr).  The 
reading  is  uncertain.  If  the  'in  it'  be  retained,  the 
reference  is  of  course  to  faith,  in  which  they  must 
abound  with  a  thankful  heart  to  God  for  this  gift. 
(Eph.  2 : 8.)  If  the  '  in  it '  be  omitted,  we  read,  as  in  the 


Revised  Version,  "  abounding  in  thanksgiving"  as  the 
quality  which  should  characterize  their  whole  state  of 
heart  and  mind  in  the  reception  and  exercise  of  the 
gospel  gifts. 


30 


9  For  in  Liiu  dwellelh  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead 
bodily. 

lU  And  ye  are  com|ilete  in  liini,  which  is  the  head  of  all 
priiicipality  and  power: 


COLOSSIANS.  [Ch.  II. 

9  1  rudiments  of  the  world,  and  not  after  Christ :  for 

in   hiiu   dwelleth    all   the   fulness  of  the   Godhead 

10  bodily,  and   in  him   ye   are   made  full,  who  is  the 


1  Or,  elements. 


our  modern  sense  of  the  word,  nor  even  as  I 
currently  understood  then,  but  (as  indicated 
by  the  article  in  Greek)  that  particular  form 
of  teaching  to  which  the  Colossians  were 
then  exposed,  and  which  doubtless  called  itself 
'philosophy.'  After  the  traditions  of  man. 
The  character  of  tlie  philosophy  and  vain  de- 
ceit. It  was  of  purely  human  origin,  being 
simply  handed  down  from  man  to  man.  There 
is  ])erhaps  allusion  here  to  the  Kabbala,  the 
mystic  traditions  of  Judaism,  with  which  the 
false  teaching  at  Colosse  had  some  affinity. 
The  form  of  the  sentence  is  interesting.  This 
teaching  is:  (1)  positively;  («)  of  human 
origin;  (6)  of  earthly  nature;  (2)  negatively, 
not  Christian.  After  the  rudiments  ol  the 
ivorld.  'Rudiments'  are  "elements"  or 
"first  principles"  or  "a  b  c."  The  very  first 
principles  of  this  rapacious  philosophy  are  of 
the  earth  earthy.  This  is  the  simplest  inter- 
pretation. The  notion  of  some  of  the  Fathers 
that  by  the  Greek  term  (aToixeia)  is  meant  not 
'  rudiments,'  but  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  that 
the  reference  is  to  astrology  or  the  like,  is 
utterly  out  of  place.  While  the  suggestion 
advanced  by  Franke  on  Meyer,  that  the  angels 
and  angel-worship  are  meant,  is  too  fiinciful 
for  serious  consideration.  Lightfoot  has  a 
very  clear  and  able  note  on  the  whole  passage, 
defending  the  view  adopted  here.  And  not 
after  Christ.  Contrast.  Here  is  no  robbing 
l)hilosophj',  but  the  truth  of  God;  no  empty 
delusion,  but  historical  reality;  no  worldly 
principles,  but  divine  life,  yea,  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh,  as  the  next  verse  sets  forth. 

9.  For  in  him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness 
of  the  Godhead  bodily.  This  declares,  in 
strong  and  striking  language,  the  true  deity 
of  Christ.  'For'  here  goes  back  to  the  turn 
of  expression  in  the  last  clause  of  ver.  8:  "Not 
after  Christ,"  for,  on  the  contraiy.  in  him 
dwelleth,  etc.  'In  him  dwelleth.'  The  pres- 
ent tense  is  used  here  not  specially  to  contrast 
the  present  either  with  the  past  or  with  the 


future,  but  simply  to  denote  a  prevailing  fact, 
true  both  of  his  earthly  life  and  of  his  present 
exaltation.  And  so  the  vivid  use  of  the  pres- 
ent tense  simply  brings  up  what  must  always 
be  true /or  us,  a  fact  ever  ofl'ered  for  our  per- 
ception and  acceptance.  The  ever-present 
truth  is  here.  'All  the  fulness  of  the  God- 
head.' For  the  special  appro]>riateness  of 
using  the  term  '  fulness'  because  of  the  Gnos- 
tic use  of  it,  see  on  1  :  19.  The  fullness  of  the 
Godhead  is  that  which  makes  Deity  complete. 
The  word  (SeoTT)?)  which  would  literally  be 
rendered  "Godness,"  if  there  were  such  a 
word,  had  better  be  translated  Deity  rather 
than  Divinity,  or,  perhaps,  even  Godhead. 
Now  according  to  this  statement,  all  that 
which  goes  to  make  up  the  completeness  of 
God  dwells  bodily  in  Christ!  Wonderful 
language!  As  to  the  important  qualif\'ing 
word  'bodily,'  we  may  say  that  it  refers  to 
the  manifestation  of  God  in  Christ,  formerly 
in  his  earthly  body  and  now  in  his  glorified 
body.  Henceforth  (since  the  incarnation)  and 
forever,  the  completeness  of  Deity  in  bodily 
manifestation  dwells  in  Christ.  Our  concep- 
tion of  the  Christ  while  he  lived  on  earth  and 
now  when  glorified  in  heaven  is  that  of  a 
bodily  fulfillment  of  God.i 

With  this  thought  of  Christ's  fullness  of 
Deity  in  his  mind,  Paul  goes  on  to  speak  of 
the  believer's  fullness  of  Christ,  (ver.io.)  This 
suggests  the  spiritual  union  of  believers  with 
Christ  under  the  figure  of  circumcision  (ver.  n); 
and  this  naturally  leads  on  to  the  new  rite, 
which  symbolizes  the  real  spiritual  entrance 
of  the  believer  into  the  main  focts  in  Christ's 
career,  his  death  and  resurrection  (ver. i2). 

10.  And  ye  are  complete  in  him — ye  are 
filled  (Revised  Version,  "made  full  "),  ye  are 
in  a  state  of  completeness  in  him.  Not  as  he 
is,  the  fullness  of  Deity  ;  but  your  being  filled 
with  all  good,  with  all  the  excellence  of  which 
you  are  capable,  is  in  and  from  him.  See  Eph. 
3:19.    Bengel  acutely  remarks:  ^'  Ipse plenus, 


J  Light  font  well  says:  "St.  Panl's  language  is  care- 
fully guarded ;  he  does  not  say  iv  aianaTi  ('  in  a  body  '), 
for  the  Godhead  cannot  be  confined  to  any  limits  of 
space ;  nor  <rw/iiaToei6ws  ('  in  the  form  of  a  body ')  for 


this  might  suggest  the  unreality  of  Christ's  human 
body  ;  but  (rufiaTucws  ('  bodily  '),  '  in  bodily  wise,'  '  with 
a  bodily  manifestation.' " 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


11  In  whom  also  ye  are  circumcised  with  the  circum- 
cision made  without  huiids,  in  putting ott"  the  body  of 
the  sins  of  the  tiesh  by  the  circumcision  of  (hiist: 

12  Huried  with  him  in  baptism,  wherein  also  ye  are 
risen  with  him  through  the  failh  of  the  operation  of 
God,  who  iiath  raised  him  from  the  dead. 


11  head  of  all  principality  and  power:  in  whom  ye 
were  also  ciicumeised  with  a  circumcision  not 
made  with  hands,  in   the  piilting   olf  of  the   liody 

12  ol  the  tlesh,  in  the  circumcision  of  Christ;  having 
been  buried  with  him  in  baptism,  wherein  ye  were 
also  raised  with  him  through  faith  in  the  working 


nos  repleti,''^  he  is  full,  we  are  filled.  Hhich 
is  the  head  of  all  principality  and  power. 

Tliis  phrase  is  not  quite  clear.  It  may  be 
either,  1,  in  general,  Christ  is  superior  to  all 
rule  or  authority ;  or,  2,  especially  that  he  is 
superior  to  all  orders  and  ranks  of  the  heav- 
enly beings  usually  described  in  these  terms. 
See  1  :  16.  The  latter  is  more  lilcely  from 
analogy;  and  it  comes  to  the  same  thing,  since 
if  he  is  superior  to  these  he  must  be  over  all 
z/^/er/o?- beings,  and  so  his  universal  supremacy 
is  declared. 

11.  In  whom  also  ye  are  eircnmcised, 
etc.     The  rendering  of  the  Kevised  Version  is 
here  decidedly  preferable,  as  better  expressing 
the  nice  shades  of  meaning  in  the  original : 
"In  whom  ye  were  also  circumcised  with  a 
circumcision  not  made  with  hands."     As  the 
rite  of  circumcision  represented  the  removal 
of  bodily  impurity  and   the   devotion  of  the 
circumcised  person  to  God,  as  one  of  his  pecu- 
liar people,  so  the  spiritual  union  with  Christ, 
here  spoken  of  and  represented  by  the  term 
'  circumcision,'  is  described  as  the  putting  off 
the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh— that  is, 
of  all  carnal  incitement  to  sin.     The  circumcis- 
ion spoken  of  is  a  spiritual  matter  made  with- 
out hands.     Compare  Rom.  2  :  28,  29.     Omit 
'of  the  sins'  with  the  best  editors  on  the  au- 
tliority  of  the  most  reliable  manuscripts.     It 
was  a  later  explanatory  addition. *     '  Body  of 
the  flesh'   is   the   body  under  control  of  the 
flesh  as  suggestive  of  sin,  and  being  in  oppo- 
sition to  God.     By  {in)  the  circumcision  of 
Christ— that  is,  in   the  renewing  of  the  spir- 
itual  life  in   and   by   him.      Lightfoot  says: 
"The  previous  verses   have  dealt   with   the 
theological  tenets  of  the  false  teachers.     The 
apostle   now  turns  to  their  practical  errors: 
'  You  do   not  need   the   circumcision  of  the 
flesh,  for  you  have  received  the  circumcision 
of  the  heart.     The  distinguishing  features  of 
this  higher  circumcision  iire  threefold  :  1.  It  is 
not  external,   but    inward;    not    made   with 
hands,  but  wrought  by  the  Spirit.   2.  It  divests 


not  of  a  part  only  of  the  flesh,  but  of  the  whole 
body  of  carnal  afl'ections.  3.  It  is  the  circum- 
cision, not  of  Moses  nor  of  the  patriarchs,  but 
of  Christ.'  Thus  it  is  distinguished  as  re- 
gards, tirst,  its  character;  secondly,  its  ex- 
tent; thirdlj'-,  its  author."  Is  this  new  cir- 
cumcision to  be  identified  with  the  act  of 
baptism  ?  The  mention  of  baptism  in  the 
next  verse  has  caused  the  question  to  be 
raised.  But  there  are  three  reasons  why  this 
identification  cannot  be  admitted:  1.  The 
mention  of  baptism  in  the  next  verse  is  clearly 
not  in  the  way  of  a2'>po8it)on  to  circumcision, 
but  only  as  the  mention,  in  a  figurative  way, 
of  a  rite  of  the  Older  Dispensation  suggests 
the  symbolic  rite  of  the  New.  There  is  no 
word  or  turn  of  expression  to  indicate  that 
baptism  was  to  "take  the  place  of  circum- 
cision." 2.  In  so  far  as  baptism  is  a  humanly- 
administered  (though  divinely  ordained)  rite, 
it  is  as  much  "made  by  hands"  as  ever  cir- 
cumcision was.  But  the  circumcision  here 
spoken  of  is  of  the  heart,  and  refers  to  the 
renewing  of  the  nature  which  is  only  out- 
wardly represented  in  the  act  of  baptism  as  a 
burial  and  resurrection.  3.  There  is  no  trace 
elsewhere  in  the  Scriptures  of  any  identifica- 
tion of  circumcision  and  baptism,  or  substitu- 
tion of  one  for  the  other.  It  is  hardly  too 
much  to  say  that  no  one  would  ever  have 
thought  of  such  an  interpretation  of  this  'cir- 
cumcision '  if  the  prevalence  of  infant  bap- 
tism had  not  made  it  desirable  for  its  defenders 
to  seek  some  Scriptural  justification  for  their 
practice. 

12.  Buried  Avith  him  in  baptism.  The 
Revised  Version  is  again  decidedly  preferable. 
"Having  been  buried  with  him  in  baptism'" — 
as  a  symbolic  portraiture  of  that  inward 
change  represented  as  'putting  ofl^  the  body  of 
the  flesh,'  and  spoken  of  as  a  'circumcision 
made  without  hands.'  The  act  of  baptism,  in 
which  the  believer  is  put  under  the  water,  is  a 
symbolic  burial  to  the  sins  of  the  past.  See 
Rom.  6  :  3,  4.     "For  all  who  in   the  rite  of 


1  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  Meyer-Franke  omit  ritv  anapniiv  ('of  the  sins'),  following  N  A  B  C   etc. 
It  was,  uo  doubt,  an  e.\p!anatory  gloss. 


32 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  II. 


13  And  you,  being  dead  in  your  sins  and  the  uncir-  13  of  God,  who  raised  him  from  the  dead.  And  you, 
■cunicision  of  your  flesh,  haih'  he  quiclceiied  together  I  being  dead  through  your  trespasses  and  the  uncir- 
wilh  hiiu,  having  forgiven  you  all  trespasses  ;  ciinicision  of  your  flesh,  you,  /  siiy,  did  he  quicken 

I        together  with  him,  having  forgiven  u.s  all  our  tres- 


baptism  are  plunged  under  tlie  water,  thereby 
declare  that  they  put  faith  in  the  expiatory 
death  of  Christ  for  the  pardon  of  their  past 
sins;  therefore  Paul  likens  baptism  to  a  burial 
by  which  the  former  sinfulness  is  buried — that 
i.s,  utterly  taken  away."  (Tha^'er's  "Grimm's 
Lexicon,"  p.  605,  s.  v.  awednTw).  Lightfoot 
(a  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  England)  says: 
"  Bai)tisrn  is  the  grave  of  the  old  man,  and 
the  birth  of  the  new.  As  he  sinks  beneath  the 
baptismal  waters  the  believer  buries  there  all 
his  corrupt  affections  and  past  sins;  as  he 
emerges. thence  lie  rises  regenerate,  quickened 
to  new  hopes  and  a  new  life."  If  the  learned 
bishop  meant  this  to  be  taken  symbolically, 
it  ma3'  be  accepted;  but  if  literally,  that  as  an 
actual  fact  this  momentous  change  is  effected 
by  the  act  of  baptism  itself,  it  is  of  course 
much  too  strong  a  statement,  plainly  contrary 
to  the  spirit  of  New  Testament  teaching  and 
to  the  true  meaning  of  this  passage  itself. 
Wherein  also  ye  are  risen  with  him. 
Further  symbolism  of  baptism,  a  resurrection 
to  new  life.  Through  the  faith  of  the  ope- 
ration (loorkiuf/,  or  energy)  of  God,  who 
hath  raised  him  from  the  dead.  See  Kom. 
10  :  9.  The  resurrection  of  Christ  was  a  glori- 
ous exhibition  of  the  mighty  energy  of  God, 
and  is  a  central  point  in  the  Christian  faith. 
Now  it  is  faith,  dependence  on  this  divine 
power,  by  which  this  energy  becomes  effective 
"to  the  saving  of  the  soul."  But  this  recep- 
tion by  faith  of  the  power  of  God  into  the  life 
(?f  the  believer  is  beautifully  symbolized  in  its 
effects  by  the  burial  and  resurrection  set  forth 
in  baptism.  Compare  the  more  complete  ex- 
pression of  the  thought  in  the  parallel  passage 
in  Rom.  6  :  1-4. 

The  mention  of  Christ's  being  raised  from 
the  dead  by  the  power  of  God  brings  Paul 
now  to  mention  (ver.  is)  the  death  in  sin  from 
which  the  believer  is  raised  by  divine  power 
and  forgiveness;  this  forgiveness  is  complete, 
being  evidenced  in  the  entire  removal  (ver.  ii) 
of  all  that  makes  us  obnoxious  to  the  divine 


wrath  and  punishment,  a  removal  by  the  cross, 
in  which,  though  an  instrument  of  shame  and 
torture,  Christ's  high  triumph  (ver.  15)  is 
achieved. 

13.  And  you  (emphatic),  being  dead  in 
your  sins  (or,  through  your  trespasses).  '  In ' 
or  'through' — equivalent  here  to  "by  means 
of "  ;  your  trespasses  were  the  means  of  your 
spiritual  death.  'Trespasses'  is  the  proper 
translation.  It  is  the  same  word  that  occurs 
in  the  last  part  of  the  verse.  If  Paul  could 
use  it  twice  in  the  same  sentence,  there  would 
seem  no  good  reason  why  King  James'  Revi- 
sers should  not  have  done  so;  but  with  their 
usual  fondness  for  variety,  at  the  expense  of 
accuracy,  they  have  here  rendered  it  'sins,' 
which  is  a  different  word  in  the  Greek.  The 
word  properly  translated  'sin'  (ainapTia)  comes 
froin  a  root  meaning  "to  miss,"  "to  go  wide 
of  the  mark";  while  this  word  (jrapaTrrufia) 
comes  from  a  word  meaning  "to  fall,"  "to 
fall  aside,"  or  "away  from  the  side  of."  So 
both  in  etymology  and  usage  there  is  a  distinct 
shade  of  difference  in  the  meaning,  and  they 
should  not  be  confounded.  Being  spiritually 
dead  by  the  falls  you  have  made  away  from 
God's  law,  is  the  thought.  Compare  Ei>h.  2  : 
1,  seq.  And  the  uncircumcision  of  your 
flesh — that  is,  by  your  carnal  state  of  aliena- 
tion from  God;  uncircumcision  denoting  the 
natural,  ungodly,  or  rather  godless  condition 
of  separation  from  God.  ]\Iost  probably,  it 
does  not  here  refer  to  literal  uncircumcision  as 
the  evidence  of  their  being  heathen  Gentiles 
(though  possibly  suggested  by  that),  but  the 
figurative  use  of  the  term  is  here  continued 
for  the  'circumcision'  of  ver.  12.  You, hath 
he  quickened — or,  did  he  quicken.  '  You'  is 
here  repeated,  according  to  the  correct  text,' 
not  specially  for  emphasis,  but  for  clearness. 
(See  Buttmann's  Grammar,  p.  142.)  Did  he 
tnahe  alive  would  be  now  a  more  exact  ren- 
dering, though  "quicken"  was  sufficiently  so 
in  older  English  usage.  Together  with  him 
— denoting    the    close    spiritual    union   with 


1  The  best  authorities,  for  sufficient  reasons,  omit  ei' 1  ened ').  Both  readings  adopted  by  the  Revisers.  So 
('in')  before  n-apaTTTto/uacrif  (' trespasses'),  and  insert  a  I  also  rjnif  ('us')  after  x«P"''«^f>'<'s  ('having  forgiven') 
second    vixat    ("you")    after   awiimo-noiriaiif    (' quicl\- 1  is  undoubtedly  the  correct  text. 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


33 


14  Blotting  out  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  that 
was  against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us,  and  loolc  it 
out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross; 


14  passes  ;  having  blotted  out  '  the  bond  written  in  or- 
dinances that  was  against  us,  which  was  contrary  to 
us:  and  he  hath  taken  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it 


1  Or,  the  bond  that  was  against  ua  hy  its  ordinances. 


Christ,  by  virtue  of  which  true  spiritual  life 
is  given  to  the  believer.  "It  has  been  ques- 
tioned whether  the  life  here  spoken  of  should 
be  understood  in  a  spiritual  sense  of  the  re- 
generation of  the  moral  being,  or  in  a  literal 
sense  of  the  future  life  of  immortality  re- 
garded as  conferred  on  the  Christian  poten- 
tially novv,  though  only  to  be  realized  here- 
after. But  is  not  such  an  issue  altogether 
superfluous?  Is  there  any  reason  to  think 
that  St.  Paul  would  have  separated  these  two 
ideas  of  life?  To  him  the  future  glorified  life 
is  only  the  continuation  of  the  j)resent  moral 
and  spiritual  life.  The  two  are  the  same  in 
essence,  however  the  accidents  may  differ. 
Moral  and  spiritual  regeneration  is  salvation, 
is  life."     (Lightfoot,  against  Meyer.) 

An  important  question  of  grammar  arises 
here:  What  is  the  subject  of  the  verb  'quick- 
en '  ?  God  or  Christ?  It  is  necessary  to  under- 
stand Christ  as  the  subject  of  the  sentence 
later  on,  beginning  at  the  words  'and  took 
out  of  the  way.'  The  question  is  whether 
that  construction  applies  here  also,  so  that 
we  are  to  regard  Christ  as  the  understood 
subject  to  'quicken,'  'having  forgiven,'  'hav- 
ing blotted  out.'  Ellicott  takes  this  position 
for  the  sake  of  uniformity  throughout  the  .sen- 
tence. But  Meyer  and  Lightfoot  more  wisely 
take  the  ground  that  we  must  understand  God 
as  the  subject  in  the  three  cases  just  mentioned. 
For  these  acts  are  usually  ascribed  to  God, 
and  it  is  not  unnatural  or  unusual  for  Paul  to 
glide  from  one  subject  to  the  other  in  such  a 
connection.  See  Eph.  2  :  4,  5.  No  distinct 
change  is  made,  but  the  seemingly  unconscious 
passing  from  one  subject  to  the  other  is  itself 
most  interesting  and  forcible. 

Having  forgiven  you  all  trespasses. 
The  correct  te.xt  (see  foot  note,  page  32)  has 
"us"  rather  than  'you.'  The  apostle  easily 
includes  himself  in  the  divine  forgiveness, 
though  it  turns  the  grammatical  construction 
a  little.  This  divine  forgiveness  is  manifested 
iilong  with  regeneration  :  'He  quickened  .  .  . 
having  forgiven  all  your  trespasses.' 

14.  Blotting  out — description  of  the  method 
of  the  divine  forgiveness.  Compare  Isa.  44: 
22.     The    handwriting    of    ordinances  — 


better  as  in  Revised  Version,  the  bond  writteii 
in  ordinances.  The  word  {\eipoypa<t,ov)  means 
"something  written  by  hand,"  and  so,  as 
we  say,  "a  note  of  hand  "  or  "bond."  See 
Thayer's  "Grimm's  Lexicon,''  p.  668.  Not 
the  law  of  the  Decalogue,  written  by  the 
hand  of  God,  as  some  have  strangely  supposed. 
But  it  is  our  obligation  to  keep  the  law  of  God 
just  as  if  we  had  given  our  note  of  hand  ;  and 
this  is  becauseof  its  binding  nature  in  general, 
and  because  of  the  consent  of  reason  and  con- 
.science  thereto.  The  law  promulgated  obli- 
gates the  morally  responsible  hearer,  just  as 
much  as  a  voluntarily  assumed  debt.  For 
similar  modes  of  expression,  though  in  each 
case  with  a  different  meaning,  see  Gal.  5:3; 
Rom.  8:12.  On  the  complete  sense  here  the 
margin  of  the  Revised  Version  is  best:  "the 
bond  that  was  against  us  by  its  ordinances." 
The  quality  of  this  bond,  the  nature  of  the 
obligation  involved,  is  expressed  by  the  term 
'ordinances,'  or  "statutes,"  or  "decrees." 
These  'ordinances'  are  those  of  God  given  in 
the  law,  and  the  obligation  to  keep  them  is 
'against  us'  because  it  exacts  of  us  more  than 
we  can  perform.  Thus  the  thought  is  that  we 
stood  indebted  by  the  ordinances  of  the  law; 
but  this  debt  God  forgave;  he  has  canceled 
the  bond.  Compare  Eph.  2  :  15.  It  is  the 
standard  doctrine  of  Paul  here  figuratively  set 
forth,  but  carefully  elaborated  in  Romans  and 
Galatians.  We  are  delivered  from  the  bondage 
and  penalty  of  sin  by  God's  grace  in  Christ. 
Which  was  contrary  to  us— besides  being 
'against  us  by  its  ordinances'  it  is  positively 
hostile,  seeking,  as  it  were,  our  destruction. 
Compare  Rom.  7  :  9-13.  And  took  (or  better, 
as  in  Revised  Version,  "and  he  hath  taken") 
it  out  of  the  way— that  is,  removed  it  utterly 
and  forever  in  its  hostile  and  destructive  char- 
acter. It  is  the  perfect  tense  in  the  Greek,  ex- 
pressing the  idea  that  the  object  remains  taken 
out  of  the  way.  It  seems  better  at  this  point 
to  regard  the  subject  of  the  verbs  in  the  sen- 
tence as  changed  from  "God"  to  "Christ." 
This  seems  more  natural  and  in  accord  with 
Paul's  usual  language.  Meyer,  however,  pre- 
fers to  consider  "God"  as  the  subject  through- 
out, for  the  sake  of  grammatical  uniformity. 


34 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  II. 


15  And  having  spoiled  principalities  and  powers,  lie 
made  a  shew  of  theiu  openly,  iriuuiphiug  over  them 
in  it. 


lo  to  the  cross ;  i  having  despoiled  the  principalities 
and  the  powers,  he  made  a  shew  of  iheiu  openly, 
triumphing  over  them  in  it. 


J  Or,  having  put  off  from  himself  the  priticijialities,  etc. 


Nailing  it  to  his  cross.  Tlie  canceled  bond 
is  nailed  to  Christ's  cross.  Beautiful  figure. 
The  Saviour  was  nailed  to  the  cross  and  with 
him  our  condemnation  under  the  law.  It  was 
crucified  and  knows  no  resurrection. 

"  My  soul  looks  back  to  see 

The  burdens  thou  didst  bear, 
When  hanging  on  the  accursed  tree 
And  hopes  her  guilt  was  there." 

15.  This  is  a  very  difficult  verse.  I  con- 
sider tlie  translation  of  the  Common  Version, 
which  also  is  preferred  by  the  American  Ke- 
visers,  as  better  than  either  the  text  or  margin 
of  the  Revised  Version.  And  having  spoiled 
— that  is,  despoiled,  ViteraWy  stripped,  robbed 
of  their  power  to  injure.  Principalities  and 
powers — here,  as  the  objects  of  Christ's  'spoil- 
ing' and  'triumph,'  the  evil  spirits.  On  this 
sense,  see  Eph.  6  :  12,  where  our  "  wrestling," 
spiritual  conflict,  is  against  these.  He  made 
a  shew  of  them  openly  (or,  boldly) — that  is, 
be  made  them  before  heaven  and  hell  a  public 
spectacle  of  defeated  evil.  In  it — in  the  cross, 
which  was  the  token  of  his  lowest  humiliation. 
That  in  which  demons  must  have  rejoiced  in 
short-siglited  triumph  as  his  overthrow,  was 
really  their  own.  The  meaning,  then,  appears 
to  be  this:  Christ  not  only  nailed  to  his  cross 
the  canceled  bond  of  our  forfeited  obligations 
under  the  law;  but,  in  that  same  instrument 
of  shame  and  yet  of  glory,  he  publicly 
triumphed  over  those  living  and  active  agents 
of  evil  who  have  mj'sterious  power  to  lead  us 
into  temptation  and  sin  ;  they  have  such  power 
lo  corrupt  and  condemn  in  st)me  sense  because 
of  the  law  which  they  lead  us  to  violate;  but 
by  nailing  the  canceled  bond  of  the  law  to 
the  cross  he  has  despoiled  them  of  one  of  their 
best  means  of  injury.  This  is  certainlj'  an  in- 
telligible view  of  the  matter,  and  agreeable  to 
the  context.  The  difficulty  in  the  waj'— and 
it  is  a  serious  difficulty — lies  in  the  unusual 
meaning  which  must  be  put  upon  the  word 
translated  in  the  Common  Version  'spoiled,' 
in  the  Revised  Version  "put  off  from  him- 
self." The  translation  of  the  Revised  Version 
is  undoubtedly  literjil  (an-eicJuo-ofici'o?).  The 
word  really  does  mean  just  that,  and  is,  more- 


over, found  in  its  correct  signification  in  this 
very  Epistle.  (3:».)  "Having  put  otl"  from 
yourselves  the  old  man."  But  what  meaning 
can  we  get  from  the  words  if  a  literal  transla- 
tion be  adhered  to?  The  Revised  Version 
reads:  "Having  put  ofl*  from  himself  the 
principalities  and  the  powers,  he  made  a  shew, 
etc."  What  can  this  mean?  Can  it  be  that 
the  terms  'principalities  and  powers'  here  do 
not  refer  to  living  beings,  but  to  the  high 
authority  with  which  Christ  was  clothed  and 
which  he  laid  aside  to  die  on  the  cross,  so  that 
we  have  here  a  similar  passage  to  Phil.  2:7? 
This  will  not  do:  (1)  because  tlie  words  are 
invariably  elsewhere  used  of  spiritual  beings, 
good  or  bad ;  and  (2)  because  there  could  be 
no  propriety  in  saying  that  Christ  '  triumphed 
over'  the  exaltation  which  he  laid  aside  in 
dying  on  the  cross.  No;  we  must  hold  fast 
the  notion  that  'principalities  and  powers' 
have  here  their  usual  meaning  of  spiritual 
beings.  But  are  they  good  or  bad?  The  good 
angels  cannot  be  meant,  because  Christ  did 
not 'triumph  over'  them  in  the  cross.  We 
are  shut  up  then  to  the  view  that  these  terms 
here  refer  to  those  evil  forces  and  intelligences 
which  arc  spoken  of  again  in  Eph.  6  :  12, 
wliich  have  power  over  the  minds  of  men  to 
I  lead  them  to  sin  and  destruction.  Now,  then, 
the  question  is:  In  what  sense  could  Christ  be 
said  to  '  put  off  from  himself  the  evil  angels? 
j  Lightfoot  tries  bard  to  justify  this  interpreta- 
tion, as  follows:  "Christ  took  upon  himself 
our  human  nature  with  all  its  temptations. 
(Heb.  4:15.)  The  powers  of  evil  gathered  about 
him.     Again  and  again  they  assailed  him  ;  but 

I  each  fresh  assault  ended  in  a  new  defeat 

j  The  final  act  in  the  conflict  began  with  the 
I  agony  of  Gethsemane;  it  ended  with  the  cross 
I  of  Calvary.     The  victory  was  complete.    The 
I  enemy  of  man  was  defeated.     The  powers  of 
j  evil,  which  bad  clung  like  a  Nessus  robe  about 
j  his  humanity,  were  torn  off  and  cast  aside  for- 
1  ever.    And  the  victory  of  mankind  is  involved 
I  in  the  victory  of  Christ.     In  his  cross  we  too 
are  divested  of  the  poisonous   clinging  gar- 
ments  of  temptation,   sin   and   death."     But 
notwithstanding  this  special  pleading  it  is  very 
strange  that  'principalities  and  powers'  should 


Ch.  IL] 


COLOSSIANS. 


16  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in 
drink,  or  in  respe<^'t  of  a  liolyday,  or  of  the  new  moon, 
or  of  tlie  sabbath  Uui/s: 


16      Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in 
drink,  or  in  respect  of  a  feast  day  or  a  new  moon  or 


be  conceived  of  as  a  garment  clinging  to 
Christ' s  humanity.  It  is  a  hopeless  incongru- 
ity ;  and  the  reference  Liglitfoot  makes  to  the 
"  filtliy  garments"  of  Joshtia  and  the  presence 
at  the  same  time  of  "  Satan,"  in  Zech.  3  :  1-4, 
sounds  more  like  one  of  the  Fatiiers  than  a 
great  schohir  of  these  scientific  da^-s.  One 
other  resort  is  left  for  those  who  will  hold  to 
tlie  literal  meaning  of  the  word  ('  having  dis- 
robed,' 'having  put  ofl'  from  himself);  and 
tiiat  is  to  understand  after  it,  "  his  body,"  and 
render  as  the  margin  of  the  Revised  Vers'on : 
"Having  put  off  frt)m  himself  his  body, 
lie  made  a  shew  of  the  jirincipalilies  and 
powers."  This  would  undoubtedly  give  a 
plain  and  scriptural  meaning  to  the  expression, 
but  we  have  no  grammatical  right  to  insert  an 
object  after  a  verb  simply  to  make  the  mean- 
ing clear,  unless  that  object  is  either  involved 
in  the  meaning  of  the  verb  itself,  or  can  be 
plainly  gathered  from  the  context  as  having 
been  in  the  writer's  mind.  Neither  of  these 
conditions  is  found  here.  The  only  object 
naturally  suggested  by  the  verb  would  be  a 
garment  not  a  body,  and  if  so  unusual  an 
idea  as  putting  off  a  body  were  intended,  the 
object  would  have  to  be  expressed.  Again  the 
thought  of  Christ's  body  is  too  remotely  sug- 
gested by  the  nailing  of  the  bond  to  the  cross 
to  make  it  necessary  or  even  likely  that  it 
should  be  inserted  here  as  an  object  to  a  verb 
(participle)  which  has  alre.idy  one  plain  gram- 
matical object.  Besides  all  this,  it  must  be 
plain  from  the  structure  of  the  sentence  that 
Paul  intended  'principalities  and  powers'  to 
be  the  object  of  'having  put  off.'  We  are 
compelled,  therefore,  to  seek  for  some  other 
meaning  for  this  term  than  the  common  one' 
of  disrobing,  putting  off  from  oneself  If  the 
participle  were  in  the  active  voice  there  would 
be  no  difficulty,  for  the  verb  means  to  '  strip 
off,'  'to  divest  entirely  of;  but  in  the  middle 
voice  of  the  Greek  verb  it  means  to  'strip  off 
from  oneself,'  'to  divest  oneself  entirelj'  of.' 
But  besides  this  purely  reflexive  use  of  the 
middle  voice  there  is  another  known  to  gram- 


marians ;  and  that  is  that  it  describes  the  action, 
not  as  directly  performed  on  oneself,  but  as 
being  done  with  reference  to  oneself,  or  for 
one's  own  advantage.  Here  we  must  take 
refuge  in  this  secondary  use  of  the  middle 
voice  in  the  Greek;  that  is  tliat  Christ  'stripped' 
the  '  principalities  and  powers,'  not  himself; 
but  that  he  did  so  with  a  view  to  his  own  glory 
in  the  triumph  of  the  cross.  Thus  we  come  to 
the  meaning  which  has  already  been  ex- 
plained. It  is  not  without  difficulty,  but  it  has 
less  objection  than  any  of  the  others  proposed. 
Meyer  upholds  this  view. 

The  apostle  makes  now  more  definite  allu- 
sion to  the  forms  of  error  which  then  threat- 
ened the  Colossian  Christians.  In  ver.  16, 17,  we 
have,  accordingly,  a  warning  against  ceremo- 
nialism. 

IG.  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you. 
'Therefore'  points  back  to  the  triumphant 
expiatory  work  of  Christ.  Tiie  f(jrce  of  the 
exhortation  is:  Do  not,  by  subjecting  your- 
selves to  ceremonial  requirements  which  are 
done  away  in  Christ,  make  yourselves  liable 
to  the  fanatical  judgment  and  censure  of  as- 
cetical  persons.  In  meat  or  in  drink — or, 
"eating  and  drinking."*  This  refers  to  cere- 
monial, and,  doubtless,  extremely  rigid  re- 
quirements as  to  clean  and  unclean  articles  of 
food  and  drink.  Or  in  respect  of  a  holy- 
day,  etc.  The  Revised  Version  is  more  ac- 
curate: "Or  in  respect  of  a  feast  day,  or  a 
new  moon,  or  a  sabbath  day."  The  claims  of 
these  observances  were,  no  doubt,  greatly  ex- 
aggerated, and,  possibly,  made  tests  of  fellow- 
ship. There  is  danger  of  such  things  all  the 
time.  The  warning  is  not  idle.  The  use  of 
the  term  'sabbath'  in  this  connection  may 
have  some  bearing  on  the  much-mooted  ques- 
tion of  Sabbath  observance  in  our  own  days. 
The  question  is  too  broad  for  full  discussion 
here,  but  two  things  may  be  remarked  :  1.  The 
literal  Jewish  sabbath,  the  seventh  day,  may  be 
meant  as  being  no  longer  the  day  for  Chris- 
tians to  observe,  the  Lord's  Day  being  substi- 
tuted and  sufficient.     2.  Or  that  the  peculiar 


1  Whether  to  read  ec  Ppuxrei  ij  «V  ird<rei,  '  in  meat  or  I 
in   drink,'  or  ev  jSpiio-ti  ical  tr  Trocrft,   'in    meat   (ind   in 
drink."     Tlic  point  is  unimportant  and  the  ditference 
slight.    The  common  reading  has  the  strongest  docu- 


mentary evidence,  and  is  retained  by  Ti.«chendorf.  The 
other  reading  is  adopted,  though  not  decisively,  by 
Lightfoot,  Westcott  and  Jlort,  after  B  and  a  few  others. 


86 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  II. 


17  Which  are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come ;  but  the 
body  /■*■  of  Christ. 

IS  Let  no  man  beguile  you  of  your  reward  in  a  vohin- 
tary  hiiuiility  and  worshipping  of  angtls,  intruding 
into  those  things  which  be  haih  not  seen,  vainly  puifed 
up  by  his  Ueshly  mind. 


17  a  sabbath  day;  which  are  a  shadow  of  the  things 

18  to  come ;  l)ut  the  body  is  Christ's.  Let  nonnm  roli  you 
of  your  prize  'by  a  voluntary  humility  and  worship- 
ping of  the  angels,  2 dwelling  in  the  things  which 
he  hath  iiseen,  vainly  putted  up  by  his  fleshly  mind, 


1  Or,  of  his  own  mere  will,  by  humility,  etc 2  Or,  taking  his  stand  upon 3  Many  authorities,  some  smcieiit,  in.iert  not. 


Jewish  exaggerated  mode  of  keeping  tlie  sab- 
bath should  not  be  insisted  on.  We  are  not 
to  suppose  that  the  observance  of  the  sabbath, 
which  is  as  old  as  the  Creation  and  enjoined 
in  the  Decalogue,  is  to  be  entirely  done  away, 
as  being  only  a  shadow.  (Ver.  n.)  Which 
are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come.  These 
ceremonies  had  their  valuable  use  ;  but  they 
are  the  shadow  only  of  the  eternal  verities 
revealed  in  Christ.  Compare  Heb.  9  :  11  and 
10  :  1.  Question  arises  as  to  the  significance 
of  '  things  to  come.'  The  present  tense,  '  which 
are  a  shadow,'  is,  as  Ellicott  observes,  not  to 
be  unduly  pressed,  because  it  is  the  "general 
present"  stating  things  according  to  their 
nature  and  relations,  rather  than  with  special 
reference  to  lime.  It  would  be  confusing  to 
refer  the  '  things  to  come  '  to  the  future  state, 
the  glories  of  heaven,  as  these  are  not  now 
under  consideration.  It  is  more  natural  to 
regard  the  expression  as  describing  the  revela- 
tion of  the  Christ,  which  the  Jews  were  ac- 
customed to  speak  of  as  "the  age  to  come." 
(Heb.  2:5.)  The  remark  is  made  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  Old  Testa-ment,  as  Olshausen  cor- 
rectly observes.  But  the  body  is  of  Christ 
— or,  Christ s.  This  is  not  the  appositional 
genitive,  equivalent  to  saying,  the  body  is 
Christ;  but  it  means  that  the  substance  of  all 
these  things  is  in  Christ,  their  true  reality  and 
significance  is  in  him  ;  they  are  only  shadows  of 
realities  which  exist  in  theiVi.  So  is  it  unwise  to 
pay  more  regard  to  these  ceremonial  matters 
than  to  the  solid  truths  taught  by  Christ  and 
his  apostles. 

In  the  next  two  verses  (18,  19)  we  have  a 
distinct  and  pointed  warning  against  the  false 
teachers  at  Colosse. 

18.  Let  no  man  beguile  you.  The  Re- 
vi.sed  Version  here  is  far  better :  "  Let  no  man 
rob  you  of  your  prize."  The  word  is  un- 
usual (KaTa/Spa/Seu'eif),  derived  from  the  prize 
(3pa/3e:oc)  given  in  contests.  The  literal  mean- 
ing is  to  award  unfavorable  judgment  as 
umpire,  whereby  a  contestant  is  deprived  of 
the  prize;  and  so.  to  deprive  {or  Toh).nf  n  prize. 
The  'prize'  here  alluded  to  is  that  mentioned 


in  Phil.  3  :  14  as  the  object  of  Paul's  own 
earnest  efforts,  "  the  prize  of  the  high  calling 
of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  He  pleads:  "Take 
care  lest  these  teachers  of  false  things  lead 
you  astray  and  cause  you  to  miss  that  prize." 
Compare  ver.  8.  The  expression  need  not  be 
considered  contradictory  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  Perseverance  of  Saints,  which  is  not  here 
in  question  as  a  doctrine,  but,  like  all  other 
such  warnings,  is  to  be  taken  as  one  of  the 
means  to  perseverance.  Paul  goes  on  now  to 
set  forth  the  manner  of  the  robbery  by  de- 
scribing the  character  of  the  robber.  In  a 
voluntary  humility.  This  is  certainly  a 
wrong  translation,  and  it  is  wholly  surprising 
that  the  Eevised  Version  retains  it.  Nor  is 
even  the  marginal  rendering  of  that  Version 
correct.  It  has  not  even  given  us  a  good 
alternative.  The  truth  is  that  the  jjhrase  is 
exceedingly  difficult,  and  the  Revisers  have 
simply  evaded  it  by  retaining  the  incorrect 
rendering  of  the  Common  Version  in  their 
text,  and  giving  one  of  a  number  of  commen- 
tators' guesses  in  the  margin.  It  is  not  likely 
that  any  triinslation  will  be  satisfactory.  Hort 
supposes  that  there  is  here  a  "primitive  cor- 
ruption of  text"  which  has  been  perpetuated 
in  all  our  existing  authorities.  But  the  au- 
thorities we  now  have  are  decisive  as  to  the 
reading,  and  it  is  dangerous  to  attempt  con- 
jectural emendation.  It  is  rather  a  cheap 
way  of  avoiding  a  difficulty.  The  commen- 
tators, as  was  surely  to  have  been  expected, 
differ  very  much  among  themselves  in  detiling 
with  the  knot— verily,  a  crux  irderpretmn. 
To  bring  the  difficulty  clearly  before  the  En- 
glish reader,  let  us  take  a  literal  translation  : 
"  Let  no  man  rob  you  of  your  prize,  willing 
in  humility  and  worship  of  the  angels."  The 
trouble  evidently  lies  in  the  interpretation  of 
the  participle  "willing"  (flfAuf).  Literally 
rendered  as  above,  it  gives  no  apparent  sense. 
Various  renderings  (mostly  guesses)  have  been 
proposed,  such  as  that  of  the  Common  Ver- 
sion and  of  that  of  the  margin  of  the  Revised 
Version  ;  but  only  two  seem  to  have  any  just 
claim  to  probability  :  1.  "  Let  no  man  rob  you 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


37 


willing — wishing,  purposing — (to  do  so)  in  hu- 
mility," etc.  lliis  is  the  view  uf  Meyer  (not 
Fninke)  and  of  Ellicott.  It  is  grammatically 
allowable,  and  gives  a  passable  sense.  The  ob- 
jections to  it  are  (1)  that  the  participle  '  will- 
ing' would  really  thus  be  superfluous,  and  (2) 
it  does  not  harmonize  so  well  with  the  context; 
for  the  following  words,  'in  humility,'  etc., 
will  then  have  to  be  taken  either  as  the  means 
(Meyer)  or  the  sphere  (Ellicott)  of  the  rob- 
bery, instead  of  describing  the  character  of 
the  robber,  as  the  rest  of  the  passage  does. 
The  other,  and  preferable  proposal,  is  to  give 
a  different  and  unusual  translation  to  the  par- 
ticiple, and  read:  2.  "  Let  no  one  rob  you  of 
your  prize  delighting  in  humility',"  etc.  This 
affords  excellent  sense  and  accords  well  with 
the  context.  The  apostle  is  describing  the 
sort  of  person  who  would  defraud  them  of 
their  heavenly  prize,  and  in  so  doing  inci- 
dentally' shows  the  method  of  his  procedure; 
he  is  one  who  takes  pleasure  in  humility  and 
angel  worship,  who  launches  out  into  visions 
that  he  has  seen,  who  is  vainly  puffed  up  in  his 
carnal  mind,  and  who  does  not  hold  on  to 
Christ,  from  whom  all  really  true  and  profit- 
able spiritual  teaching  comes.  The  only  ques- 
tion is,  Have  we  a  right  to  translate  the  parti- 
ciple "delighting"  or  "taking  pleasure"? 
It  must  be  admitted  that  the  word  does  not 
have  this  meaning  in  classical  Greek,  nor  does 
it  occur  in  this  sense  elsewhere  in  the  New 
Testament.  But  it  is  true  that  in  the  Septua- 
gint  exactly  this  piirase  (6iKu>v  tv),  '  willing  in,' 
occurs  quite  frequently,  as  a  translation  of  the 
Hebrew  expression  "to  delight,  or  take  pleas- 
ure in"  a  person  or  thing.  Thaj'er's  "Grimm's 
Lexicon"  gives  the  examples,  which  are  nu- 
merous, sufficient  to  establish  the  point,  and 
should  be  decisive.^  Buttmann,  in  his  "New 
Testament  Grammar,"  opposes  this  view,  but 


with  conspicuous  ill-success  for  so  great  a 
scholar.  Ellicott  dismisses  it  too  sweepingly  ; 
Lightfoot  defends  it  with  force.  There  is  no 
valid  objection  to  it  on  any  ground,  except  its 
unusualness;  but  with  the  Septuagint  usiigi' 
so  well  made  out,  and  with  the  somewhat 
similar  usage  of  the  word  in  Matt.  9  :  13;  27  : 
43,  and  Heb.  10  :  5  (all  quotations  from  the 
Septuagint),  we  need  not  fear  to  allow  that 
Paul  uses  the  term  here  in  its  unclassical  and 
unusual  Septuagint  sense.  If  this  be  allowed, 
the  meaning  becomes  plain  :  "Taking  pleas- 
ure in  humility" — that  is,  in  a  profession  of 
exceeding  humility,  said  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  man  himself,  descriptively.  And  wor- 
shipping of  angels— that  is,  this  person  feels 
too  humble  .to  worship  God;  he  must  stop 
short  of  the  Infinite  One  and  worship  inter- 
mediate beings!  'Humility' — real  lowliness 
of  mind,  is,  of  course,  a  good  thing,  an  emi- 
nent Christian  virtue.  But  this  was  (and  ever 
is)  a  sad  perversion.  "VVe  must  worship  God 
humbly,  but  we  are  not  too  humble  to  worship 
liim  at  all.  As  Lightfoot  well  says:  "There 
was  an  officious  parade  of  humility  in  selecting 
these  lower  beings  as  intercessors,  rather  than 
appealing  directly  to  the  throne  of  grace." 

The  person  warned  against  is  further  de- 
scribed as  intruding  into  those  things 
which  he  hath  not  seen.  The  Kevised 
Version  reads:  "dwelling  in  the  things  that 
he  hath  seen";  in  the  margin,  "taking  his 
stand  upon  the  things  that  he  hath  seen." 
The  'not'  in  the  Common  Version  must  be 
omitted  before  '.seen,'"  and  'intruding'  is  not 
a  correct  translati<m  of  the  Greek  word  e^i^o- 
Teuoii/.  The  Revisers'  text,  "dwelling  in,"  is 
nearly  correct,  but  inadequate  and  somewhat 
misleading;  their  margin,  "taking  his  stand 
upon,"  is  more  literal  and  somewhat  explana- 
tory', but  not  yet  quite  satisfactory.    The  word 


1  Ps.  Ill  (112)  :  1 ;  146  (147)  :  10  ;  1  Sam.  18  :  22 ;  2  Sara. 
15  :  2fi  ;  1  Kings  10  :  9  ;  1  Chron.  28  :  4  ;  2  Chron.  9  :  8. 

2 There  i.s  a  very  important  and  difficult  variation 
here.  The  Received  Text  has  oi  /^i)  kutpoKiv  ('  tilings 
which  he  hath  not  seen'),  on  authorityof  X"C  D'^K  LP 
many  cursives  (F  G  have  oii/c),  f  g  Vulgale,  Gothic, Syr- 
iac,  Armenian,  Origen  (in  some  passages),  Chrysostom, 
Euthaliiis,  Theodoret,  and  others.  Westcott  and  Hort, 
Tischendorf,  Lightfoot,  Meyer-Franke  have  S  edpoKti' 
(or  euipaicef )  ('things  which  he  hath  seen,'  omitting  the 
negativei,  on  the  decisive  authority  of  X*  ,\  B  D*  17. 
28.  67**d  e  m  Coptic,  .-Vrabic,  Ethiopic,  Origen  (two 
passages),  Tertullian,  Lucifer.    Jerome  and  Augustine 


mention  that  the  manuscripts  differed  in  their  day. 
From  the  early  and  strong  documentary  evidence  w« 
can  only  conclude  that  the  negative  was  a  later  insertion 
to  smooth  over  a  difficulty.  With  the  negative  the 
sense  is  easy ;  without  it,  very  difficult.  But  is  it  ncccs- 
.sary  to  resort,  with  Lightfoot  and  Hort,  to  "  conjectural 
emendation"?  What  advantage  is  to  be  gained  by  re- 
jecting, on  strong  documentary  grounds,  a  well-sup- 
jiorted  manuscript  emendation,  and  resorting  to  one 
that  has  no  manuscript  authority  (and  but  little  plaus- 
ibility, for  that  mattcri  in  its  favor?  For  the  interpre- 
tation, see  the  comment. 


38 


COLOSSrANS. 


[Ch.  II. 


19  And  not  holding  the  Head,  from  whicli  all  the  '  ID  and  not  holding  fast  the  Head,  from  whom  all  the 


body  by  joints  and  bands  having  noiirislnuent  minis- 
tered, and  knit  tugether,  iucreaselh  with  the  increase  of 
(jod. 

20  Wherefore  if  ye  be  dead  with  Christ  from  the  rudi- 
ments of  the  world,  why,  as  though  living  in  the  world, 
are  ye  subject  to  ordinances, 


body,  being  supplied  and  knit  together  through  the 
joints   and   bands,  increaseth   with  the  increase  of 
Gud. 
20      If  ye  died  with  Christ  from  the  i  rudiments  of  the 
world,  why,  as   though   living  in  the  world,  do  ye 


1  Or,  elements. 


literally  means  "going  into,"  "  embarking  j 
on,"  and  is  used  in  classical  Greek  and  in  tiie  j 
Septuagint  in  quite  a  variety  of  senses  noted  j 
by  Thayer's  "Grimm's  Lexicon"  under  the 
word.  The  meaning  here  appears  to  be, 
"launching  forth  upon  things  that  he  has 
seen"  ;  that  is,  going  into  detailed  statements 
about  wonderful  things  that  he  has  seen, 
harping  upon  his  visions,  telling  more  than  he 
or  anybody  else  can  prove.  The  caustic  de- 
scription proceeck:  Vainly  puffed  up  by  his 
fleshly  mind.  This  is  a  good  translation, 
and  the  meaning  is  clear  at  a  glance.  The 
mind  is  the  moving  power,  but  it  is  here  rep- 
resented as  controlled  by  'the  flesh';  that 
is,  the  lower  nature,  the  sinful  propensities. 
Thus  it  is  inflated  with  a  sense  of  its  acquisi- 
tions, but  'vainly'  ;  that  is,  to  no  good  pur- 
pose. "Their  profession  of  humility  was  a 
cloak  for  excessive  pride."  (Lightfoot.)  The 
final  touch  is  put  to  the  portrait  now: 

19.  And  not  holding  the  Head— that  is, 
of  course,  Christ..  These  false  teachers  in  their 
wild  vagaries  departed  from  the  "simplicity 
that  is  in  Christ,"  they  taught  not  "as  the 
truth  is  in  Jesus."  This  is  the  decisive  test. 
Whatever  teaching  does  not  accord  with  the 
truth  of  Christ  ought  to  be  avoided.  From 
which  (or,  ivhom) — that  is,  Christ.  The  change 
of  the  relative  pronoun  is  significant.  All  the 
body  by  joints,  etc.  The  Revised  Version 
is  rather  clearer:  "From  whom  all  the  body 
being  supplied  and  knit  together  through  the 
joints  and  bands  increaseth,"  etc.  The  'body' 
is  the  "church,"  the  body  of  believers,  and 
so  the  efl"ects  here  described  apply  sever- 
ally to  each  believer.  '  Being  supplied'  with 
spiritual  nourishment,  'and  knit  together,' 
compacted,  strengthened  in  spiritual  life  and 
power;  'through  the. joints  and  bands,'  what- 
ever connects  with  the  Head,  as  faith,  love, 
obedience,  on  our  part,  and  presence,  grace, 
and  care,  on  Christ's.     It  would  be  incongru- 


ous to  suppose  with  some  that  the  'joints  and 
bands'  refer  to  individual  members  of  the 
body.  Nor  yet  is  it  well  to  press  the  figure 
too  far,  as  that  the  'joints'  are  faith,  the 
'bands'  love,  and  such  like.  EUicott  well 
says :  "  The  passage  does  not  seem  so  much  to 
involve  special  metaphors  as  to  state  forcibly 
and  cumulatively  a  general  truth."  The 
increase  of  God  is  the  growth  and  enlarge- 
ment of  spiritual  character,  which  is  minis- 
tered of  God's  grace  by  the  Spirit,  and  which 
God  therefore  expects  and  requires.  "  By  the 
twofold  means  of  contact  and  attachment 
nutriment  has  been  difl^used  and  structural 
unity  has  been  attained,  but  these  are  not 
the  ultimate  result;  they  are  only  intermedi- 
ate processes;  the  end  ]s growth.''  (Lightfoot.) 
See  the  similar  passage  in  Eph.  4  :  15,  16. 

20-23.  Asceticism. — In  the  remainder  of 
the  chapter  the  warning  is  especially  directed 
against  asceticistn,  which  was  also  a  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  false  teachings  to  which  the 
Colossians  were  exposed. 

20.  Wherefore  if  ye  be  dead  with  Christ. 
Omit  '  wherefore,''  and  read  as  in  the  Revised 
Version:  "If  ye  died  with  Christ  from  the 
rudiments  of  the  world."  The  'if  here  does 
not  express  doubt  as  to  the  fact  of  their  having 
died,  but  has  its  argumentative  use:  if  it  be  a 
fact,  then,  etc.  The  dying  with  Christ  is 
viewed  as  past  because  of  Christ's  death  as  a 
past  event,  and  becsiuse  of  their  own  experi- 
mental dying  with  him  being  a  fact  which 
occurred  on  their  spiritual  union  with  Christ 
by  faith.  When  they  accepted  Christ  as  Sav- 
iour and  Lord,  they  entered  into  that  real  and 
vital  union  with  him  which  makes  his  death 
their  death,  both  as  a  penalty  for  sin  and  as  a 
complete  renunciation  of  the  old  life  of  sin. 
See  2  Cor.  5  :  14,  15;  Gal.  2  :  19,  20;  6  :  14. 
The  arguinent  here  is  from  this  renunciation. 
"If  ye  have  renounced  this  old  life  of  con- 
formity to  the  world,  why  try  in  a  measure  to 


iWestcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  Lightfoot,  and  Meyer-Franke  all  omit  oui-  ('therefore')  aaer  «i("if"),on 
decisive  authority.    It  was  a  later  addition. 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSI  ANS. 


39 


21  (Touch  not;  taste  not;  handle  not ;  1  21  subject  yourselves  to  ordinances,  Handle  nol,  nor 

22  Which  all  are  to  perish  with  the  using ;)  after  the     T2  taste,  nor  touch  (all  which  things  are  to  perish  with 
coiumaudiueuls  and  doctrines  of  men?  I        the  using),  after  the  precepts  and  doctrines  of  men? 


live  it  over  again?"  See  also  3  :  1.  For  the 
symbolic  representation  ol'  this  great  change 
in  baptism,  see  2  :  13.  The  note  on  ver.  8  ex- 
phiiiis  wliat  is  meant  bj'  'rudiments  of  tlie 
world.'  Why,  as  though  living  in  the 
world — tliat  is,  as  if  you  were  still  moved  and 
controlled  by  worldly  principles.  Are  ye 
subject  to  ordinances? — that  is,  to  the  opin- 
ions and  decrees  of  men.  These  'ordinances' 
of  men  have  no  veal  authority  in  themselves, 
and  are  only  '  rudiments  of  the  world'  at  best 
— why  allow  them  to  be  imposed  on  you? 

21.  Touch  not,  etc.  The  Revision  more 
accurately  translates :  "Handle  not,  nor  touch, 
nor  taste" — a  sort  of  climax  of  prohibition. 
The  words  are  emphatic,  but  there  is  no  need 
to  suppose  that  each  refers  to  a  ditferent  class 
of  objects  from  the  other,  as  the  first  to  unclean 
vessels,  the  second  to  dead  bodies,  the  third  to 
unclean  food,  and  the  like.  It  is  more  natural 
to  take  them  all  as  referring  to  such  articles 
of  food  and  drink  as  the  ascetic  ruli's  forbade. 
It  was  probably  an  established  formula  of 
asceticism,  and  is  quoted  as  an  example  of 
their  teachings— the  kind  of 'ordinance'  which 
the  Colossians  were  not  to  allow  to  be  imposed 
upon  them.  It  is  a  grievous  misinterpretation 
of  the  meaning,  and  mistipplication  of  the 
words  to  use  them  as  being  themselves  a 
Scriptural  command,  and  as  applying  to 
strong  drink.  There  :'re  passages  which  teach 
tiie  right  attitude  of  the  Christian  toward  the 
sin  of  drunkenness,  but  this  is  not  one  of  them. 
The  rigid  asceticism  which  finds  expression  in 
this  formula  is  precisely  what  the  apostle  con- 
demns. 

22.  Which  all  are  to  perish  with  the 
using.  The  grammatical  construction  here 
is  difficult  and  uncertain.  The  difficulty  is 
occasioned,  however,  by  the  parenthetic 
clauses  alone.  If  they  be  omitted  the  con- 
struction is  easy  and  the  meaning  plain : 
"  Why  do  ye  subject  yourselves  to  ordinances 
after  the  precepts  and  doctrines  of  men?' 
The  two  inserted  clauses,  'Handle  not,'  etc., 
and  'Which  all  are  to  perish,'  etc.,  are  the 
cause  of  trouble;  and  of  these  chiefly  the 
second.  The  clause  'Handle  not,'  etc.,  is  evi- 
dently a  quotation  of  a  sample  of  the  'ordi- 
nances '  to  be  avoided.     The  gist  of  the  diffi- 


culty therefore  lies  in  the  relation  of  the 
relative  clause,  '  Which  all  are  to  perish  with 
the  using,"  to  the  other.  The  question  is  two- 
fold: (1)  The  proper  connection  of  the  two 
clauses,  and  (2)  the  proper  meaning  of  the 
second  clause.  But,  of  course,  these  are  mu- 
tually dependent,  and  cannot  well  be  discussed 
separately.  Three  interpretations  may  be  con- 
sidered :  (1)  The  Revised  Version  puts  only 
the  second  of  the  two  clauses  in  a  parenthesis, 
thus  taking  it  as  a  passing  remark  of  the  apos- 
tle. He  observes  parenthetically  that  all  those 
things  which  the  quoted  ascetic  rule  requires 
should  not- even  be  touched,  are  in  fact  made 
to  be  destroyed  in  the  use  of  them.  Their  use 
is  to  be  used  up;  the^- are  for  destruction  by 
using  up;  and  it  is  therefore  idle  to  make  of 
these  j)erishable  things  a  great  test  principUs 
in  morals.  This  view  is  held  by  the  majority 
of  the  best  expositors.  Mej-er,  Lightfoot,  and 
Ellicott  all  agree  on  it.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  it  seems  upon  the  whole  the  most  satisfac- 
tory, but  the  others  deserve  notice.  (2)  The 
Common  Version  puts  both  clauses  in  the 
same  parenthesis,  and  thus  makes  it  all  a  quo- 
t  ition  of  an  ascetic  maxim.  The  second  clause 
is  also  the  language  of  asceticism,  and  gives  a 
reason  for  the  prohibition  contained  in  the 
first.  So  in  this  view  the  matter  is  to  be  thus 
understood:  The  ascetic  saj^s:  Handle  nfit,  nor 
taste,  nor  even  touch  these  things,  all  which 
are  to  perish  with  use.  Leave  them  all  alone; 
they  are  unsafe  to  meddle  with;  they  are 
mere  material  things,  unworthy  of  an  in- 
structed man's  notice;  they  are  even  corrupt 
in  tendency,  and  to  touch  them  is  defiling. 
This  interpretation  is  harsh  and  improbable, 
though  possible.  (3)  Another  view  would  put 
the  two  clauses  in  the  same  parenthesis,  still 
making  both  th«  language  of  the  ascetic,  but 
would  give  a  different  interpretation  to  the 
phrase  'perish  with  the  using.'  The  Greek 
literally  is,  'Which  all  are  for  destruction  by 
the  use.'  Now,  the  word  rendered  'use' 
(airdxpiiCTt?)  is  a  Compound  word  with  the  idea 
of  "using  up"  or  "over  using,"  and  so  may 
mean  excessive  use,  or  abuse.  It  is  in  fact 
found  in  this  sense.  And  the  'perishing'  re- 
ferred to  may  be  that  of  the  person  using,  as 
well  as  of  the  things  used.     Hence  it  is  gram- 


40 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  IL 


23  Which  things  have  iiiaeed  a  shew  of  wisdom  in  |  23  Which  things  have  indeed  a  shew  of  wisdom  iii 
will-worsliip,  and  humility,  and  neglecting  of  the  body  ;  will-worship,   and    humility,   and    severity    to  llie 

not  in  any  honour  to  the  satisfying  of  ihe  tiesh.  body  ;  hut  are  not  of  any  '  value  against  the  indul- 

I        geuce  of  the  flesh. 


matically  and  exegetically  possible  to  render 
the  phi-ase  thus:  "Which  all  make  for  de- 
struction by  abuse" — tliat  is,  if  a  man  abuses 
these  things  it  will  tend  to  iiis  own  ruin,  and 
he  had  better  not  even  touch  them.  The  com- 
plete ordinance  of  the  ascetic  then  would  be: 
"Handle  not,  etc.,  all  these  material  things 
commonly  used  as  food  and  drink,  for  by  ex- 
cessive use  of  tliem  a  man.  is  certain  to  be 
ruined."  Now  the  principle  is  sound  within 
due  limits,  but  its  exaggeration  is  nonsense. 
"While  it  is  true  that  altuse  of  eating  and 
drinking  causes  ruin,  the  inference  is  not  ab- 
stain entirely,  but  use  in  moderation;  the 
former  would  be  rigid  asceticism,  the  latter 
Christian  common  sense.  This  is  a  plausible 
view,  but  it  lacks  simplicity.  Lightfoot  says 
of  it:  "It  loses  the  point  of  the  apostle's  argu- 
ntent,  while  it  puts  upon  'are  to  perish'  a 
meaning  which  is  at  least  not  natural."  It 
cannot  be  said  that  any  one  of  these  interpre- 
tations is  entirely'  satisfactory,  but  the  first  is 
less  objectionable  than  the  other  two,  and  is 
therefore  adopted  as  the  best  that  can  be  made 
of  a  difficult  phrase. 

After  the  commandments  and  doctrines 
of  men — and  not  by  the  autliority  and  exam- 
ple of  Christ,  for  he  was  himself  no  ascetic 
and  taught  no  asceticistn.  This  quotation  of 
Isa.  29  :  13  (Septuagint)  and  the  teaching  itself 
of  the  passage  according  to  the  interpretation 
adopted  above  remind  us  forcibly  f)f  our  Lord's 
teaching  in  Matt.  15  :  1-20  and  Mark  7  :  1-23. 
It  is  not  improbable,  as  Lightfoot  says,  "that 
the  apostle  had  this  discourse  in  his  mind." 

23.  Which  thins:s  have  indeed  a  shew 
of  wisdom — literally,  n  word  of  wisdom,  and 
so  an  argument  which  has  appearance  of  wis- 
dom, and  so  a  repute  of  wisdom.  There  is 
nothing  so  contrary  to  sound  common  sense 
and  wholesome  Cliristian  doctrine  but  may 
find  plausible  advocacy.  The  apostle  goes  on 
to  state  wherein  consists  this  '  word  of  wis- 
dom.' In  will-worship — that  is,  in  a  self- 
imposed  religious  observance,  not  required  by 


Christ,  but  set  up  by  man,  and  made  to  appear 
as  clear  inference  from  established  principles. 
And  humility — an  excellent  virtue,  often  as- 
sumed for  a  ])urpose.  See  above  on  ver.  18. 
And  neglecting  of  the  body.'  The  Kevised 
Version  is  better,  "severity  to  the  body''  — 
that  is,  unsparing  ascetic  discipline,  fasts,  vig- 
ils, etc.  The  three  elements  of  the  'shew  of 
wisdom' — worship,  humility,  and  self-denial 
— have  a  very  taking  power  with  some  ))eople, 
and  have  bolstered  many  a  hurtful  error,  be- 
cause, in  their  proper  place  and  degree  and 
kind,  they  are  pillars  of  the  truth.  Falsehood 
always  is  more  dangerous  when  it  can  take 
and  use  tlie  watchwords  of  truth.  The  apostle 
turns  now  to  deny  the  true  value  of  such  as- 
cetic practices.  Not  in  any  honour  to  the 
satisfying  of  the  flesh — or,  as  Revised  Ver- 
sion renders:  "But  are  not  of  any  value 
against  the  indulgence  of  the  flesh."  They 
break  down  right  where  their  value  is  claimed  ; 
they  do  not  otter  any  valid  safeguard  against 
carnal  indulgence.  This  seems  to  be  the  best 
interpretation  of  a  confessedly  difficult  and 
obscure  phrase.  We  may  agree  with  Hort 
that  "none  of  the  current  explanations  are 
satisfactory,"  that  is,  tvholly  satisfact<iry,  hut 
it  is  rather  daring  to  suppose  here  again 
"primitive  corruption  of  text"  when  there  is 
no  trace  of  such  corruption  in  our  existing 
documents.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  suppose 
that  in  the  current  colloquial  language  of  the 
time,  or  in  the  cant  of  the  ascetics,  or  in  tlie 
local  usage  of  the  Colossians,  there  lay  a  pecu- 
liar shade  of  meaning  in  some  of  these  terms 
that  is  not  apparent  to  us?  The  newspajxT 
dialect  of  to-day  would  suggest  difficulties  of 
interpretation,  even  to  a  student  in  our  own 
tongue,  a  hundred  years  hence;  and  yet  a 
i  grave  philosophical  or  religious  treatise  might 
find  it  most  effi^ctive  to  use  language  that  by 
reas  n  of  local  or  temporary  coloring  would 
become  rather  obscure  in  later  times.  Now, 
there  may  have  been  such  local  or  temporary 
coloring  of  meaning  in  the  words  rendered 


1  Lightfoot,  Westcott  and  Hort,  bracket  ital  ('and')   before  dn<iei8i(f  (' severity '),  on  authority  of  B  and  some 
lesser  authorities.  Tischeudorf  retains.    Better,  I  think. 


Ch.  II.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


41- 


Vlionor"  or  "value,"  and  "  siitisfyinj^"  or 
"indulgence,"  as  made  the  sentence  perfectly 
clear  and  forcible  to  the  Colossians,  while  its 
meaning  is  obscure  to  us.  Three  renderings 
and  interpretations  should  be  considered  : 

1.  That  of  the  Common  Version:  'Not  in 
any  honour  to  the  satisfying  of  the  flesh.' 
That  is,  these  ascetic  practices  have  an  a-p-^ar- 
e/ii!  justification  in  self-made  formulas  of  relig- 
ious worship  and  the  like;  but  they  have  no 
such  justification,  or  'shew  of  wisdom,'  in  any 
honor  they  confer  as  regards  the  satisfying  of 
the  natural  and  reasonable  demands  of  the 
body.  That  is  to  say,  it  confers  no  honor  on  a 
man  to  neglect  these  natural  demands  and 
despise  his  own  bod3'  by  subjecting  it  to  useless 
and  absurd  ascetic  rigors.  The  fatal  objection 
to  this  view  is  that  the  word  '  satisfying'  (itAtjo-- 
it.ovi\)  does  not  in  correct  usage  describe  the 
natural,  moderate,  and  proper  gratification  of 
tlie  bodily  desires,  but  their  excessive  and  im- 
proper gratification.  The  interpretation  there- 
fore is  untenable,  as  contrary  to  the  usage  of 
the  word,  and,  though  held  by  some  of  the 
Greek  Fathers,  is  rightly  rejected  by  the  best 
modern  expositors. 

2.  The  interpretation  of  Meyer:  Which 
things  have  a  reputation  for  wisdom  in  self- 
imi)()sed  service  and  humility — not  in  any- 
thing which  is  really  an  honor — for  the  sake 
of  satisfying  the  flesh.  Thewords  '  not  in  any 
honor'  he  regards  as  somewhat  parenthetical, 
containing  a  remark  in  passing.  So  it  means 
that  these  'ordinances  and  doctrines'  of  the 
ascetics  have  a  reputation  for  wisdom  in  order 
thereby  to  furnish  full  indulg(Uice  to  the  "nat- 
ural man."  That  is,  it  comes  about  that  while 
one  is  having  reputation  for  wisdom  in  ascetic 
severities  to  the  body,  he  is  really  working  to 
satisfy  to  the  full  his  carnal  nature  in  the 
sense  of  spiritual  pride,  power  over  others, 
and  the  like.  This  interpretation  has  itself  'a 
shew  of  wisdom'  in  conjunction  with  such 
passages  as  Gal.  6: 12,  13  and  Rom.  16: 18,  but 
it  is  too  artificial.  It  is  adopted  and  defended 
by  Ellicott,  but  rejected  by  Lightfoot  for  ex- 
cellent reasons  :  («)  that  it  breaks  the  connec- 
tion of  the  sentence,  and  so  is  grammatically 
objectionable;  and  (6)  that  it  gives  a  meaning 
to  the  words  'satisfying  of  the  flesh'  that  is 
forced  and  unnatural. 

3.  The  interpretation  of  the  Revised  Ver- 
sion:  "But  are  not  of  any  value  against  the 


indulgence  of  the  flesh."  These  things  may 
have  'a  shew  of  wisdom,'  so  far  as  self-imposed 
worship  and  humility  and  severity  are  con- 
cerned ;  but  they  are  of  no  value  or  worth 
whatever  as  a  safeguard  against  any  real 
temptation  to  bodily*  indulgence.  Ascetic  ol)- 
servances  do  not  make  a  man  pure,  or  shield 
him  against  flesiily  temptations.  This  inter- 
pretation approves  itself  as  agreeable  to  the 
context,  grammatically  smooth,  end  not  dis- 
torting in  any  way  the  meaning  of  the  words 
'satisfying  of  the  flesii.'  It  is  open,  however, 
to  two  objections,  but  these  are  not  as  serious 
as  those  which  lie  against  the  other  two  views. 
The  difficulties  are:  («)  In  translating  the 
Greek  word  for  'honor'  (n/i^)  as  'value.'  But 
this  meaning,  though  rare,  is  not  unknown, 
being  found  in  various  writers,  as  Lightfoot 
has  clearly  shown.  It  may  also  have  this 
sense  in  1  Peter  2  :  7,  while  adjectives  derived 
from  it  are  commonly  useil  for  "valuable," 
"costly,"  etc.  See  Matt.  13  :  46;  26  :  7;  John 
12:3;2Peterl:  1.  (6)  In  translating  the  Greek 
preposition  meaning  'for'  (irpd?)  by  the  word 
"against"  ;  but  this  also  is  allowable  in  usage, 
as  Lightfoot  again  has  proved.  Yet  these  are 
felt  to  be  objections,  and  the  passage  remains 
difficult,  but  this  is  the  only  interpretation 
that  is  at  all  satisfactory.  Lightfoot  puts  it 
well  in  a  paraphrase:  "All  such  teaching  is 
worthless.  It  may  bear  the  semblance  of  wis- 
dom, but  it  wants  the  reality.  It  may  make 
an  officious  parade  of  religious  service;  it  may 
vaunt  its  humility;  it  may  treat  the  body 
with  merciless  rigor;  but  it  entirely  fails  in 
its  chief  aim.  It  is  powerless  to  check  indul- 
gence of  the  flesh." 

HOMILETICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

Ver.  3 :  A  trilogy  of  consolation :  1.  Mu- 
tual love.  2.  Intelligent  faith.  3.  Growing 
knowledge.  The  first  a  condition,  the  second 
an  acquisition,  the  third  a  consummation. 
Ver.  6:  The  orderly  Christian  walk,  accord- 
ing as  we  have  received  by  faith  the  Christ: 
1.  As  Saviour.  2.  As  Teacher.  3.  As  Exem- 
plar. 4.  As  Lord.  Ver.  7:  The  true  Chris- 
tian character:  1.  Rooted  and  building  up  in 
Christ.  2.  Confirmed  and  steadied  by  faith. 
3.  Thankful  in  spirit.  Ver.  8:  1.  Warning 
against  intellectual  captivity.  2.  Instrument 
of  such  captivity.  3.  Character  of  the  instru- 
ment.     Ver.   9:    1.   Careful  explanation  of 


42 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  III. 


CHAPTER  III. 


IF  ye  then  be  risen   with  Christ,   seek  those  things 
which  are  above,  where  Christ  sitlelh  on  the  right 
hand  ofUod. 

2  Set  your  affections  on  things  above,  not  on  things 
on  the  earth. 

S  For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in 
God. 


1  If  then  ye  were  raised  together  with  Christ,  seek 
the  things  ihat  are  above,   where  Clirist  is,  sealed 

2  on  the  right  liand  of  God.    Set  your  minds  on  tlie 
things  tliat   are  above,  not  on  the  things  that  are 

3  upon  the  earth.     For  ye  died,  and  your  life  is  hid 


tho  text,  'Godhead,'  'fulness,'  'dwelleth,' 
'bodily.'  2.  Inferences  from  the  text,  (a) 
t))e  Deity  of  Christ,  (b)  divine  character, 
power,  and  purpose  in  Christ,  (c)  superiority 
of  Christ,  therefore,  to  'philosophy  and  vain 
deceit.'  Ver.  10  :  How  our  fullness  of  Christ 
differs  from  Christ's  fullness  of  God.  See  John 
1  :  16;  Eph.  3  :  19.  Ver.  12:  Mode  and  mean- 
ing of  baptism.  Relation  of  baptism.  1.  To 
circumcision.  2.  To  faith.  3.  To  salvation. 
Ver  13,  14:  Two  contrasts.  1.  Death  and 
life.  2.  Debt  and  forgiveness.  Ver.  14:  The 
completeness  of  the  divine  pardon  ;  he  has 
canceled  the  bond.  Ver.  15  :  The  glorious 
triumph  of  Chris:  over  all  the  evil  powers  by 
the  cross.  Ver.  16  :  The  rights  of  the  indi- 
vidual conscience  with  regard  to  ceremonial 
observances  must  be  respected.  A  truth  that 
needs  repeated  enforcement.  Ver.  17:  Shadow 
and  body,  forms  and  principles.  Forms  have 
their  uses,  'but  the  body  is  of  Christ.'  Ver. 
18,  19a:  Description  of  the  spiritual  robber: 
1.  Professing  humility — the  agnostic.  2.  Too 
humble  to  worship  God  directly  —  the  wor- 
shiper of  nature,  of  humanity,  of  the  saints. 
3.  Proclaiming  a  new  light — the  spiritualist, 
the  devotee  of  "Christian  Science,"  and  others 
like  them.  4.  Full  of  self-conceit — the  whole 
set.  5.  Denying  Christ — all  of  them  again. 
Ver.  19:  Union  with  Christ:  1.  Nourishment 
supplied.  2.  Strength  imparted.  3.  Increase 
made.  Ver.  20:  Contrasted  conditions:  1. 
Death  with  Christ.  2.  Life  in  the  world.  The 
one  implies  contradiction  to  the  other.  Ver. 
20-22 :  Christianity  opposed  to  rigid  asceti- 
cism. Ver.  23 :  1.  Asceticism  has  plausibil- 
ity.    2.  But  not  true  value. 


Ch.  3  :  1-4.  Exhortation  to  Seek  the 
Thinos  Above. — Passing  now,  in  accordance 
with  his  usual  custom,  from  the  more  dis- 
tinctly doctrinal  to  the  more  distinctly  horta- 
tory, the  apostle  begins  this  part  of  the  Epistle 
with  an  exhortation   appropriately   deduced 


from  tlie  glorious  doctrines  he  has  been  teach- 
ing, and  appropriately  leading  to  the  partic- 
ular precepts  he  is  now  about  to  enforce.  The 
translation  of  the  Revised  Version  is  prefer- 
able. 

1.  If  ye  then  be  risen  (or,  were  raised) 
with  Christ.  The  exhortation  corresponds 
to  that  in  2:  20.  Here,  again,  the  'if  does 
not  imply  doubt,  but  has  its  argumentative 
force.  The  '  then '  goes  back  to  2  :  20,  and 
both  together  to  the  burial  and  resurrection 
symbolically  .set  forth  in  baptism,  {ji-.vi.) 
'Were  raised.'  The  past  indefinite  refers  to 
the  time  of  their  conversion  symbolized  in 
baptism.  'With  Christ'  signifies  in  spiritual 
union  with  him.  Compare  Rom.  6  :  4,  5  (Re- 
vised Version)  and  1  Peter  1 :  3.  By  tlie  same 
power  which  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and 
because  of  his  resurrection,  were  you  raised 
from  moral  and  spiritual  death  to  the  new  life 
in  him.  Seek  those  things  Avhich  are 
above — that  is,  make  heavenly  things  the 
objects  of  your  aims  and  efforts.  How  nat- 
ural and  just  the  inference:  if  you  have  a 
heavenly  life-jirinciple,  live  a  heavenly  life. 
Where  Christ  sitteth — rather,  Where  Christ 
is,  seated  on  the  right  hand  of  God;  that  is, 
since  his  resurrection.  The  locality,  and  the 
presence  of  Christ  there,  characterize  the  ob- 
jects of  the  believer's  purposes.  The  further 
description,  'seated  on  the  right  hand  of 
God,'  figuratively  expresses  the  union  of 
Christ  with  God  in  the  possession  of  divine 
power  and  authority,  and  is,  hence,  a  further 
reason  for  seeking  heavenly  things.  Compare 
Rev.  3  :  21. 

2.  Set  your  affection  (not  only  your  'af- 
fection,' but  your  mind)  on  things  above. 
Repetition  for  emphasis,  change  of  expression 
for  fullness  :  Let  tliese  heavenly  things  occupy 
yotir  thoughts  as  well  as  be  the  objects  of  your 
search.  Not  on  things  on  the  earth.  Em- 
phatic contrast. 

3.  For  ye  are  dead— literally,  ye  died ;  not 
'ye  are  dead,'  by  no  means!   you  are  aliva 


Ch.  IIL] 


COLOSSIANS. 


43 


4  When  Christ,  tcho  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  theu  shall 
ye  also  appear  with  hiui  in  glory. 

5  Mortify  iheielbre  your  members  which  are  upon 
the  earth;  funiicatiun,  uncleanuess,  inordinate  att'ec- 
tinn,  evil  coucupisceuee,  and  covetousness,  whii;h  is 
idolatry  : 


4  with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  «--Ao  is  'our  life, 
shall  be  inunifesied,  theu  shall  ye  also  with  him  be 
muuifested  in  glory. 

5  Put  to  death  therefore  your  members  which  are 
upon  the  earth  ;  foiiiicatiou,  uncleaiiness,  passion, 
evil  desire,  and  covetousiu-ss,  the  wliich  is  iuolatry  ; 


1  Some  aucieot  aubboi-itiea  read  your. 


now — past  tense  again,  as  above,  expressing 
the  time  of  union  with  Christ  by  faith.  Tlie 
cliange  of  figure  from  ver.  1,  from  resurrec- 
tion with  Ciirist  back  to  death  with  Christ  as 
preceding  resurrection,  is  expressive.  You 
must  iuive  'died'  first,  in  order  to  "rise,"  lience 
tiie  'for.'  So  did  you  'die'  to  sin  and  the 
common  pursuits  of  this  life,  from  the  'ele- 
ments of  the  world.'  Between  you  as  unre- 
generate  and  as  regenerate,  there  slxmld, 
therefore,  exist  a  separation  as  complete  tis 
death.  See  2:20;  2  Cor.  5:14,  15.  And 
your  life  (you  still  have  a  life,  and  a  better 
one)  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  Note  the 
change  of  tenses:  "Ye  died"  is  past  indefi- 
nite, or  aorist;  'j'our  life  is  (or,  has  beeii) 
hidden'  is  perfect,  and  so  remains  unto  the 
present.  "Tlie  aorist  denotes  the  past  act,  the 
perfect  the  permanent  effects."  (Ligiitfoot.) 
'Life'  is  here  to  be  takeii  in  its  completed 
power  and  reality,  not  in  its  beginnings;  for 
these  are  possessed  even  here.  Jesus  said : 
"  Whosoever  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting 
life."  (Johu6:47.)  But  this  life  in  its  fullness, 
in  its  consummated  perfection,  is  hid,  as  treas- 
ure laid  up  "where  neither  moth  nor  rust 
doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break 
through  nor  steal."  It  is  treasured  up  with 
Christ,  where  the  sources  and  strength  of  its 
present  degree  of  manifestation  lie,  'in  God.' 
Thus,  both  in  the  source  of  its  present  power 
and  in  the  fulfillment  of  its  reality,  it  is  'hid' 
— not  visible  to  the  natural  eye,  not  fully 
grasped  by  the  faculties  of  the  human  intel- 
lect. 

4.  When  Christ,  Avho  is  our  life,  shall 
appear.  '0/<r  life.'  The  apostle  gladly  asso- 
ciates himself  with  those  to  whom  he  writes, 
in  the  possession  of  this  inestimable  treasure.' 
Our  life  is  not  only  wi^A  him,  but  he  is,  in  fact, 
the  life  itself.     Compare  John  1  :  4  and  14  :  6. 


Christ,  as  the  source  and  cau.se  and  keeper  of 
life  for  us,  is  really  our  life.  'Shall  appear' 
— or,  "shall  be  manifested  ;"  that  is,  at  his  sec- 
ond coming.  Then  shall  ye  also  appear 
with  him — or,  be  manifested ;  that  is,  shown 
in  your  true  character  as  his,  as  instinct  with 
the  life  wliich  he  i.s.  In  glory — that  is,  not 
only  splendidly,  gloriously,  but  in  the  state  of 
'glory.'  See  on  1 :  27.  It  refers  to  their  being 
made  manifest  in  the  consummation  of  the 
gospel,  and  is  not  to  be  confined  to  the  glorious 

'  beauty  of  their  appearance  after  the  resur- 
rection. 

j  5-11.  Exhortations  Appropriate  to 
THE  New  Life. — Those  who  are  blessed  with 
such  hopes,  and  animated  by  such  purposes  as 
have  been  just  described,  should  constantly 
repress  the  degrading  tendencies  of  the  lower 
nature  "which  warreth  against  the  soul." 

5.  Hence,  Mortify  therefore  your  mem- 
bers  which  are  upon  the  earth.  For  'mor- 
tify,' unv.'isely  retained  by  the  Kevised  Ver- 
sion, it  is  best  to  read  'put  to  death,'  with  the 
American  Committee.  Like  many  other 
words,  'mortify'  has  come  to  have  a  different 
and  weakened  sense  in  modern  usage,  and  is 
no  longer  an  adequate  rendering  of  the  vig- 
orous original,  'make  dead.'  Some  author- 
ities omit  'your,'  reading,  simply,  "the 
members."*  The  variation  does  not  in  the 
least  affect  the  meaning.  By  the  expression 
'members  which  are  upon  the  earth'  is  meant 
the  parts  and  functions  of  the  body  which 
lead  tt)  sin,  the  seat  of  sin  being  figuratively 
put  for  the  sin  itself.  These  sins  now  follow 
as  apposition  :  Fornication,  uncleanness, 
inordinate  affection  (passion),  concupis- 
cence {evil  desire).  These  are  different  names 
and  forms  of  the  same  vice,  then,  and  now, 
and  ever  terribly  prevalent.  And  covetous- 
ness, which   is   idolatry.     This  sin  is  spe- 


1  Doubtful  whether  we  should  read  v  ^<oij  rjuCiv  (^our 
life'),  or  17  iia'ri  v^Cjv  ("  ijonr  life\  X  C  D*  F  G  P,  with 
other  strong  authorities,  favor  ii^iv  ("  your"),  and  this 


Hort,  Meyer-Franke.    It  is  rather  preferable  on  in- 
ternal grounds,  but  it  is  impossible  to  decide  positively, 
2  VVestcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  Lightfoot,  .Meyer- 


iR  adopted  by  Tist-hendorf.  B  D'''  K  L,  and  other  fewer,  I  Franke  all  omit  vfiiov  ('  your')  after  MfA>j  ('  members  '), 
but  respectable  authorities,  have  ^m"""  ;  and  this  is  Nvith  the  more  weighty,  though  less  numerous,  author- 
adopted  (not  positively)   by  Lightfoot,  Westcotl  and  I  ities. 


44 


COLOSSIANS.. 


[Ch.  III. 


6  For  wliich  things'  sake  the  wrath  of  God  conietb  on 
the  children  of  disobedience: 

7  In  the  which  ye  also  walked  sometime,  when  ye 
lived  in  tiietu. 

8  But  now  ye  also  put  off  all  these j  anger,  wrath, 
malice,  blasphemy,  filthy  cummuuication  out  of  your 
moulh. 


6  for  which   things'  sake  cometh  the  wrath   of  God 

7  'upon  the  sons  of  disobedience;   -in  the  which  ye 
also    walked    aforetime,   when    ye    lived    in    these 

8  things.     But  now  put  ye  also  away  all  these;  anger, 
wrath,   malice,   railing,   shameful   speaking  out   of 


1  Some  aucienc  authorities  omit  upon  the  sons  of  disoheditnce.    See  EpU.  v.  6 2  Or,  amongst  whom. 


cially  emphasized  here :  1.  By  being  men- 
tioned along  with  the  defiling  vices.  '2.  By 
being  singled  out  from  the  rest  by  the  article 
(which  the  Revised  Version  vainly  attempts 
to  bring  out  in  an  awkward  way).  3.  By 
being  characterized  as  '  idolatry.'  The  word, 
t^to  (TrAeore^ia),  is  vcr^'  suggestive  in  its  ety- 
mology. It  denotes  the  character  of  one  who 
desires  "fo  have  more" — that  is,  more  than  he 
has  (discontent),  more  than  others  have  (envy), 
more  than  he  ougiit  to  have  (injustice).  It  is 
'idolatry'  because  it  is  worship  of  mammon. 

(Matt.  6:24.) 

6.  For  which  things'  sake  the  wrath  of 
God  cometh— tlie  punitive  wrath  of  God  in 
his  holy  abhorrence  of  sin.  The  present  tense 
('cometh')  may  be  taken  to  mean  'is  ever 
coming'  as  a  matter  of  actual  experience  and 
observation;  or  simply  as  'will  certainly 
come'  because  it  is  a  fixed  law  of  the  divine 
government.  The  latter  conception  is  prob- 
ably the  correct  one  here.  Upon  the  chil- 
dren of  disobedience.  Some  authorities 
omit  this  clause  as  an  interpolation  from  Eph. 
5:6;  but  the  evidence  is  not,  to  me,  convinc- 
ing.^ The  meaning  is:  "  Up^n  those  who  are 
by  these  sins  disobedient  to  God."  The  mode 
of  expression  is  frequently  employed  in  the 
Bible.  One  who  is  specially  marked  by  the 
character  of  a  thing  (whether  person,  object, 
or  quality)  is  called  a  chitd  of  that  thing,  it 
being  natural  for  a  child  to  resemble  its 
parent. 

7.  In  the  which.  Read,  'in  which';  there 
is  no  use  in  retaining  this  awkwardness  of  the 
Common  Version,  and,  as  there  is  no  article 
in  the  Greek,  the  Revised  Version,  by  retain- 
ing it  here  discredits  its  own  u-^e  of  the  phrase 
in  ver.  5,  as  already  noticed.   If  the  rendering 


'in  which'  (neuter)  be  preferred,  the  refer- 
ence is  of  course  to  the  sins  )ireviously  men- 
tioned ;  and  this  it  will  have  to  be  if  the  words 
'  upon  thechildren  of  disobedience '  be  omitted. 
But  if  they  be  retained  the  rendering  "among 
whom"  may  be  adopted  and  the  reference 
will  be  to  the  sinners  rather  than  to  the  sins. 
This  is  grammatically  equally  as  good  as  the 
other,  and  a  little  preferable  as  it  relieves  the 
saying  frotii  being  a  truism.  I  prefer,  there- 
fore, to  render:  "  Among  whom  ye  also  for- 
merly walked  (as  being  yourselves  such  as 
they)  when  ye  lived  in  these  things" — that 
is,  in  these  evil  affections  and  deeds.  Your  con- 
duct was  that  of  children  of  disobedience 
when  your  life  was  marred  by  tliese  evil 
things.  The  correct  text  is  "these,"  not  simply 
"them  '■  as  in  Common  Version.-  But  there 
is  some  uncertainty  both  about  the  reading, 
and  as  to  the  reference  of  "these,"  since  it 
also  may  be  either  neuter  or  ma.sculine.  But 
upon  the  whole  the  rendering  adopted  above 
seems  to  me  the  most  likely. 

8.  But  now — emphatic,  as  contrasted 
with  your  former  life.  Ye  also  put  away 
all  these.  The  'ye  also'  is  emphatic  too. 
Do  even  you,  who  were  formerly  such  as  de- 
scribed, now  put  away  these  things.  Then 
follows  another  list  of  evil  things  to  be  put 
away:  Anger,  wrath  —  the  former,  rather 
settled  indignation;  the  latter,  boiling  passion. 
But  in  such  lists  as  these  we  are  not  so  much 
to  look  for  nice  shades  of  meaning  in  the 
words  themselves  as  to  mark  the  emphasis 
brought  out  by  the  accumulation  of  so  many 
terms  of  kindred  meaning.  Malice  is  wicked 
grudging,  evil  wishes  for  others.  Blasphemy 
is  here  injurious,  slanderous  speech  against 
each  other,  not  against  God  in'this connection. 


1  The  words  iiti  tows  vioit?  k.  t.  X.  ('  upon  the  sons  of  |  may  well  be  questioned  whether  the  consideration  of 


disobedience')  are  omitted  by  Westcott  and  Hort, 
Tisfhendorf,  Liyhtfoot,  Meyer-Franke  on  the  authority 
of  B;  some  versions  and  Fathers,  as  an  evident  inter- 
polation from  Eph.  5:6.  But  there  is  no  inherent 
impossibility,  or  very  great  improbability,  that  the 
apobtle  should  use  the  phrase  in  both  places.    And  it 


the  same  language  in  two  places  should  ahrays  weigh 
against  valualile  and  strong  evidence,  as  here. 

2  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  I.ightfoot,  Meyer- 
Franke  all  read  iv  tovtok;  ('  in  these  things  ')  instead  of 
iv  avToU  ('  in  them  ')  on  decisive  authority. 


Ch.  III.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


45 


9  Lie  not  one  to  another,  seeing  that  ye  have  put  off 
the  old  man  with  his  deeds; 

IQ  And  have  put  on  the  new  vian,  which  is  renewed 
in  knowledge  after  the  image  of  him  that  created  him  : 

11  Where  there  is  neither  (ireek  nor  Jew,  circumci- 
sion nor  uncircumcision,  Barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  nor 
free:  but  Cbri.->t  is  all,  and  in  all. 


9  your  mouth :   lie  not  one  to  another;  seeing  that  ye 

10  have  put  olf  the  old  niuu  with  his  doings,  uwi  have 
put  on  the  new  man,  who  is  being  renewed  unto 
knowledge    alter    the    image  of   him   that  created 

11  liiin:  where  there  cannot  i>e  Greek  and  .Jew,  cir- 
ciimcisiou  and  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scyth- 
ian, boudman,  freeiuau:  but  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all. 


Filthy  communication  out  of  your  mouth 

— obscene,  abusive  language. 

9.  Lie  not  one  to  another.  This  com- 
pletes the  thought;  l^'ing  goes  with  the  rest. 
Seeing  that  ye  have  put  off— literally  and 
simply,  '  having  putoflT';  but  with  a  suggestion 
of  an  argumentative  force  involved  in  the  par- 
ticiple, and  hence  not  incorrectly  given  in  the 
versions.  The  word  has  here  its  proper  force 
of  "  putting  off  from  oneself  as  a  garn)ent." 
Compare  2  :  14.  The  old  man — yonr  fornier 
self  See  ver.  7.  >Vith  his  deeds — his  char- 
acteristic actions.  The  old  wnys  must  be  put 
away  along  with  the  old  experiences. 

10.  And  haveput  on— literally  and  simplj' 
again  "and  having  put  on,"  but  with  the 
same  argumentative  force  going  on.  The 
new  man— that  is,  a  new  life  in  and  with 
Christ  and  by  virtue  of  repentance  and  faith. 
The  better  way  of  actmg  toward  each  other  is, 
not  only  to  have  laid  aside  old  ways,  but  to 
have  put  on  new  ones  also.  The  character  of 
this  'new  man'  is  now  to  be  described. 
Which  is  renewed  in  knowledge.  The 
Revised  Version  is  better:  ""Which  is  being 
renewed  unto  knowledge" — tliat  is,  is  under- 
going renewal  toward  and  up  to  the  point  of 
reaching  right  knowledge  of  things  divine. 
It  is  a  new  life,  and  its  newness  becomes  ap- 
parent in  growing  knowledge  of  the  things  of 
God.  The  phrase  'renewed,'  made  new  again 
(^ava)  seems  to  point  to  the  original  purity  of 
man  before  the  Fall,  and  this  is  further  borne 
out  by  the  allusion  to  his  creation  in  what  fol- 
lows. After  the  image  of  him  that  cre- 
ated him.  This  growth  in  spiritual  knowl- 
edge is  to  result  in  the  restoration  of  that 
likeness  of  God  in  which  man  was  created, 
and  which  was  marred  by  his  sin. 

11.  Where — that  is,  in  a  community  com- 
posed of  these  new  men  who  are  being  re- 
newed in  God's  likeness.  There  is  neither 
Greek  nor  Jew.  Scholars  are  not  tinani- 
mous  as  to  the  exact  meaning  of  the  curious 
little  word  (eVt)   rendered   'there  is;'   in  the 


Revised  Version  "there  cannot  be."  It  is 
either  a  contraction  of  a  well-known  word 
(tVcari),  signifying  "  it  is  possible";  or  an  en- 
largement of  the  proposition  'in'  (e*-),  with 
the  idea  of  the  verb  "to  be"  added.  If  the 
latter,  it  is  properly  rendered  as  tiie  simple 
substantive  verb,  as  in  the  Common  Version. 
But  if  the  former  view  be  preferred,  it  is,  with 
the  negative,  to  be  given  as  in  the  Revised 
Version.  This  is  most  probably  the  correct 
view,  and  the  meaning  is  that  in  such  a  state 
of  things  the  ordinary  human  distinctions  of 
rank,  race,  religion,  and  the  like  can  no  longer 
prevail,  for  all  are  7iew  men.  Translate  then 
as  follows :  Where  there  can  no  longer  be 
Greek  and  Jew,  circumcision  and  uncircnm- 
cision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bondman,  free- 
man. Compare  Gal.  3  :  28.  The  antipathies 
of  Greek  and  Jew,  of  Judaism  and  heathen- 
ism, shall  have  no  place;  barbarians  shall 
be  subdued,  and  Scythians,  the  worst  of  bar- 
barians, softened,  by  the  gospel ;  even  the 
galling  distinction  of  slave  and  free  shall 
be  done  away.'  Lightfoot  has  a  long  and  in- 
teresting note  on  the  passage  which  is  worthy 
of  study.  But  it  does  not  seem  necessary  in  a 
brief  commentary  like  this  to  go  into  ex  tended 
discussion,  since  the  meaning  is  clear  without 
it.  This  glorious  state  of  renewal  and  eleva- 
tion finds  its  acme  in  the  statement:  Bat 
Christ  is  all,  and  in  all.  Instead  of  the 
current  distinctions  that  divide  and  embitter 
men,  Christ  is  everj-thing;  all  differences 
merge  in  him;  all  good  things  are  summed 
up  in  him;  all  things  worth  having  and  worth 
being  are  to  be  sought  and  found  in  him  ;  in- 
stead of  the  passions  and  jeaUmsies  that  flotirish 
in  the  unrenewed  heart,  Christ  shall  be  in 
every  man  the  motive  of  his  life,  the  principle 
and  the  controlling  power  of  his  new  exist- 
ence. The  presence  and  the  power  of  Christ, 
in  his  own  love,  shall  overrule  all  distinctions 
and  obliterate  all  jealousies.  Others  take  tiie 
phrase  to  mean  :  "  Christ  is  all  things  and  in 
all  things,"   taking  in    both    cases   'all<    as 


1  The  best  authorities  omit  tou  ('  and ')  after  iouAos  ("  bondman  ";. 


46 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  III. 


12  Put  on  therefore,  as  the  elect  of  (Jod,  holy  and 
b'loved,  bowels  of  iiieixies,  kindness,  humbleness  of 
mind,  lueekness,  longsiittering; 

i:j  Forbearing  one  another,  and  forgiving  one  another, 
if  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against  any:  even  as  Christ 
forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye. 

14  And  aliove  all  these  things  put  on  charity,  which  is 
the  bond  of  perfectness. 

lo  And  let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  yourhearts,  tothe 
which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body ;  and  be  ye 
thanKl'ul. 


12  Put  on  therefore,  as  God's  elect,  holy  and  beloved, 
a  heart  of  compassion,  kindness,  humility,  meekness, 

13  longsuffering;  forbearing  one  another,  and  forgiv- 
ing each  other,  if  any  man  have  a  complaint  against 
any;  even  as  Hhe  Lord  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye: 

14  and  above  all  these  things  put  on  love,  which  is  the 

15  bond  of  perfectness.  And  let  the  peace  of  Christ 
2  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye  were  called 


1  Many  ancient  authorities  read  Christ '^  Gr.  arhitrate. 


neuter.  That  is  to  say,  Christ  in  this  renewed 
state  of  mankind  is  the  sum  of  all  things,  and 
the  pervasive  principle  of  all  things.  The 
meaning  is  about  the  same  in  either  case  and 
either  is  grammatically  admissible,  but  it 
seems  rather  better  to  take  the  second  'all' 
as  masculine  and  referring  to  tliose  who  are 
renewed.     (Kpii.3:n;  Coi.  1:27.) 

12-17.  Various  Practical  Exhorta- 
tions. 

12.  Put  on  therefore,  as  the  elect  of 
God,  holy  and  beloved.  Paul  urges  now  as 
a  consequence  ('therefore')  of  their  having 
put  off  the  old  man  with  his  deeds,  and  hav- 
ing put  on  the  new  man,  a  temper  and  con- 
duct suitable  to  their  dignity  and  character  as 
the  chosen,  the  Jioly,  and  the  beloved  of  God. 
The  'holy  and  beloved'  are  not  vocative,  but 
further  explanatory  adjectives,  along  with 
'elect.'  The  'therefore'  may  refer,  as  Light- 
foot  understands  it,  to  the  last  preceding 
words,  'Christ  is  all,  and  in  all' ;  but  owing  to 
the  similarity  in  expression  regarding  'put 
off'  and  '  put  on,'  it  seems  better  with  Meyer 
to  refer  it  to  ver.  9.  'Holy' — not  in  the  sense 
of  absolute  sinless  perfection,  but  as  belonging 
exclusively  to  God  as  his  chosen,  and  there- 
fore separated  from  common  uses  and  ends. 
Bowels  of  mercies — rather,  as  Revised  Ver- 
sion, a  heart  of  compassion.^  The  viscera 
were  regarded  by  the  ancients  as  the  seat  of 
the  emotions,  especially  those  of  this  charac- 
ter. Kindness — or,  gentleness.  Humble- 
ness of  mind — that  is,  'humilitj','  now  used 
in  the  best  and  usual  sense,  and  not  as  in  2  : 


18,    23.      Meekness— not    a    heathen    virtue. 
Longsuffering — patient  endurance  of  evil. 

la.  Forbearing  and  forgiving  go  beauti- 
tifully  together.  If  any  man  have  a  quar- 
rel against  any— rather,  "complaint,"  as 
Revised  Version.  It  may  be  even  a  just  com- 
plaint. Even  as  Christ  (or,  'the  Lord')* 
forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye.  The  highest 
measure  of  forgiveness.  But  it  is  better  to 
take  these  words  as  beginning  a  new  sentence: 
"Even  as  the  Lord  forgave  you,  so  also  (do) 
j'ou  (forgive  each  other)."  This  is  more  natu- 
ral than  to  consider  the  participial  structure  as 
going  on. 

14.  And  above  all  these  things  put  on 
charity — that  is,  "love."  In  addition  to  all 
these  virtues,  put  on  the  including  element  of 
them  all;  over  and  above,  as  taking  them  all 
in,  and  hence  called  the  bond  of  perfect- 
ness.' There  is  some  little  difficulty  in  get- 
ting at  the  exact  meaning  of  this  beautiful 
phrase.  It  may  be  either  (1)  the  bond  which 
by  uniting  all  virtues  tends  to  perfection,  puts 
the  finishing  touch  upon  character;  or  (2)  sim- 
ply the  Hebraistic  adjective  relation,  the  bond 
which  is  characterized  by  perfectness,  the  bond 
which  is  perfect  as  a  bond.  Other  views  also 
are  held  by  various  expositors,  but  Lightfoot 
well  expresses  what  seems  the  best  sense  thus: 
"The  power  which  unites  and  holds  together 
all  those  graces  and  virtues  which  together 
make  up  perfection." 

15.  And  let  the  peace  of  God*  (or,  more 
correctlj',  of  Christ)  rule  in  your  hearts. 
The  'peace  of  Christ'  is  the  peace  which  he 


1  Best  authorities  read  oiicTipjuoC  ("  of  mercy  "  sing.) 
instead  of  o'lKTipixdv  ("  mercies"). 

2  Hard  to  decide  whether  to  read  6  xpio-rb?  ixapio'aTo 
('Christ  forgave')  with  Tischendorf,  after  X"  C  D ''«nii<' 
E  K  L  P,  almost  all  cursives,  many  versions,  and  Fath- 
ers; or  6  Kvpiot  ("the  Lord  forgave")  with  Westcott 
and  Hort  (text),  Lighlfoot,  Meyer-Fraiike,  after  A  B  P* 
F  G  213 ;  d  e  f  g  m  Augustine,  Pelagius.    X*  has  Oebi 


("God"),  which  is  clearly  a  correction.  The  reading  of 
Westcott  and  Hort  more  probably  correct. 

^'O  {'which,'  neuter)  is  undoubtedly  the  correct  read- 
ing, though  harsh  grammar. 

*  "H  <ip>)i'T/ ToO  xpicTToii  ("  the  peace  of  Christ  "),  instead 
of  ToC  9eov  ('of  God')  is  the  reading  of  Westcott  and 
Hort,  Lightfoot,  Teschendorf,  Meyer-Frauke,  after  de- 
cisive authority  :  X  A  B  C  D,  etc. 


Ch.  III.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


47 


16  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all 
wisdom;  teaching  and  admonishing  one  another  in 
psalms  and  hymns  and  s)>iriiual  songs,  singing  with 
grace  in  your  liearts  to  the  Lord. 


16  in  one  body  ;  and  be  ye  thankful.  Let  the  word  of 
1  Christ  dw'fll  in  you  ^richly;  in  all  wisdom  teach- 
ing and  atiiuonishing  "ione  another;  with  psalms 
and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  singing   with  grace 


1  Some  ancieul  autboritieH  read  the  Lord  :  others,  God 1  Or,  richly  in  all  wisdom 3  Or,  youratlvta. 


bestows  (John  14:27),  and  which  must  produce  a, 
peacciible  spirit  in  him  who  receives  and  keeps 
it.  For  the  translation  'rule,'  the  margin  of 
the  Revised  Version  substitutes  "arbitrate." 
The  word  is  derived  from  the  deciding  of  an 
umpire  Opo/Seu?)  at  the  games,  and  comes  to 
mean  "arrange,"  "direct,"  "control,"  and  so 
"rule."  (Meyer,  Ellicott.)  But  no  doubt  the 
primary  meaning  is  to  "render  a  decision  as 
umpire,"  "to  arbitrate."  If  this  original 
meaning  be  adopted,  the  exhortation  amplified 
would  be  this:  "Be  at  peace  among  your- 
selves, in  accordance  with  the  peace-loving 
disposition  imparted  to  you  in  the  gift  of  the 
peace  of  Christ;  let  this  peaceable  spirit  de- 
cide all  difl^erences  among  you,  moving  your 
own  hearts."  Or,  as  Lightfoot  puts  it: 
"Wherever  there  is  a  conflict  of  motives  or 
impulses  or  reasons,  the  peace  of  Clirist  must 
step  in  and  decide  which  is  to  prevail."  But 
these  interpretations  are  a  little  cumbersome, 
and  the  simpler  meaning  'rule'  is  probably  to 
be  preferred,  being  sustained  by  good  usage. 
To  the  which  (leave  out  'the'>  also  ye 
were  called  in  one  body — that  is,  "j'ou 
were  called  of  God  to  be  at  peace  with  one 
another,  even  as  one  body,  animated  by  one 
life  principle."  And  be  ye  thankful.  Not 
an  afterthought,  but  thanksgiving  is  a  real 
result  of  peace,  and  is  to  be  returned  to  God 
f'lr  peace. 

16.  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you 
richly.  The  'word  of  Christ'  is  the  gospel, 
tlie  doctrine,  the  teaching  of  Christ,  both  in- 
formation and  precept.  'Dwell  in  you  richly' 
— a  striking  phrase  ;  dwell  in  your  being  as  a 
home  (et-oiKecTM),  with  all  its  riches  of  spiritual 
help,  abundantly  influencing  your  life.  "We 
have  in  the  remaining  words  of  this  verse  a 
great  difficultj'  in  properly  arranging  the 
clauses.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the 
ancients  wrote  without  punctuation,  and  with- 
out spaces  between  the  words,  it  will  be  seen 
how  impossible  it  is  to  tell  in  every  case  ex- 
actly what  arrangement  of  clauses  was  in  the 


writers  own  mind.  We  must  depend  on  the 
sense,  but,  as  several  ditlerent  arrangements 
may  give  equally  good  sense,  sometimes  it  is 
largely  a  matter  of  taste  and  feeling  with  each 
expositor  what  special  order  he  shall  adopt. 
It  is  interesting  to  notice  the  difterent  ways 
in  which  this  sentence  may  be  read  by  chang- 
ing the  punctuation:  (1)  'Let  the  word  of 
Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom; 
teaching  and  admonishing,'  etc.  (2)  '  Let  the 
word  of  Clirist  dwell  in  you  richly'  ;  'in  all 
wisdom  teaching,'  etc.  (3)  'Teaching  and 
admonishing  one  another  in  psalms,'  etc.  ; 
'singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  God.' 
(4)  'In  all  wisdom  teaching  and  admonishing 
one  another'  ;  in  psalms,  etc.,  with  grace  sing- 
ing in  your  hearts  to  God.  (5)  'Teaching 
and  admonishing  one  another  in  psalms,  etc., 
in  grace';  'singing  in  your  hearts  to  God.' 
Now,  upon  a  careful  comparison  of  these  vari- 
ous ways  of  combining  the  words  of  the  sen- 
tence, it  is  evident  that  any  of  them  gives 
sense,  and  may  be  grammatically  adopted. 
Naturally  the  expositors  adopt  and  combine 
them  very  variously.  My  own  preference  is 
to  hold  on  to  the  punctuation  of  our  Common 
Version,  and  to  render  as  follows:  Let  the 
word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  tois- 
dom  ;  teaching  and  admonishing  one  another 
in  psahns,  hymns,  spiritual  songs ;  with  grati- 
tude singing  in  your  hearts  unto  God.  The 
exposition  is  accordingly  based  on  this  view  of 
the  relation  of  the  clauses.  '  Let  the  word  of 
Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom'-^ 
that  is.  let  the  gospel  principles  and  precepts 
fully  direct  and  control  your  life,  so  that  its 
power  may  be  manifest  in  a  conduct  marked 
by  eminent  wisdom  ;  your  wise  demeanor  will 
betray  the  rich  sources  of  spiritual  force  dwell- 
ing within  you.  'Teaching  and  admonishing 
one  another  in  psalms,  hymns,i  spiritual  songs.' 
They  were  to  use  these  spiritual  exercises  as  a 
means  of  mutual  instruction  and  warning. 
Observe  the  construction  of  'teaching  and 
admonishing' ;  it  is  what  is  called  the  "ab.so- 


J  The  best  authorities  omit  the  conjunction  (cal  ('and')  before  both 'hymns'   'and  spiritual  songs,'  making 
▼ivid  style. 


48 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  hi. 


17  And  whatsoever  ye  do  in  word  or  deed,  do  all  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  and 
the  Father  by  him. 

18  Wives, submit  yourselves  unto  your  own  husbands, 
as  it  is  tit  in  the  Lord. 


17  in  your  hearts  unto  God.  And  what.soever  ye  do, 
in  word  or  in  deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father  through 
him. 

18  Wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your  husbands,  as  is 


lute  "  construction,  no  subject  being  expressed. 
"You"  is  of  course  implied.  It  gives  a 
slightly  imperative  sense  to  the  words,  and  is 
peculiarly  emphatic  :  '  Let  the  word  of  Christ 
dwell  in  you  richly — you,  under  such  influ- 
ence, teaching,'  etc  The  grammatical  smooth- 
ness is  interrupted  for  emphasis.  Thedifl'erent 
shades  of  meaning  in  the  terms  '  psalms, 
hymns,  spiritual  songs,'  are  interesting,  as 
showing  the  various  kinds  of  songs  used  in 
worship  by  the  Christians  of  the  apostolic  age. 
It  seems  most  likely  that  the  'psalms'  were 
those  of  the  Old  Testament  translated,  and 
possibly  otherwise  modified  to  suit  the  needs 
of  public  worship;  the  'hymns'  were  songs 
of  praise  to  God,  not  only  Old  Testament 
psalms  of  this  character,  but  no  doubt  others 
also;  the  'spiritual  songs'  or  'odes"  were 
other  songs,  not  specially  included  in  the  pre- 
ceding; perhaps  songs  of  devotion,  experi- 
mental, even  historical,  but  they  must  be 
'spiritual,'  that  is,  in  general,  devout,  moved 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  elevating  the  spirit  of 
the  worshiper.  Some  suppose  we  have  a  speci- 
men of  such  an  'ode'  in  the  words  of  1  Tim. 
3  :  16,  wliich  appear  to  be  a  quotation  and  are 
somewhat  metrical.  Singing  with  grace'  in 
your  hearts  unto  God.  Probably  "grati- 
tude" is  here  a  better  rendering  than  'grace.' 
Compare  Heb.  12  :  28.  It  is  not  perfectly 
clear  what  meaning  is  to  be  preferred.  (1) 
Some  say  "gracefulness,"  that  is,  acceptable- 
ness,  that  which  gives  pleasure  to  the  object. 
This  does  not  accord  very  well  with  the  sense 
of  this  passage,  though  the  word  occurs  with 
that  meaning,  most  probably,  in  4  :  6  of  this 
Epistle,  and  has  other  support  in  New  Testa- 
ment usage.  See  Luke  4  :  22;  Eph.  4  :  29 
(2)  Otiiers  say  "grace"  in  the  sense  of  the 
divinely  bestowed  favor,  the  usual  New  Testa- 
ment use  of  the  word.  The  occurrence  of  the 
article  here,  as  if  the  divine  grace,  so  often 
mentioned  in  Paul's  writings  as  the  highest  of 
our  privileges,  were  intended,  gives  force  to 
this  interpretation  ;  and  the  meaning  will  be 


that  worship  is  to  be  rendered  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  divine  grace,  viewed  (as  is  sometimes 
the  case)  as  an  active  quality  of  our  own,  be- 
cause received  and  embraced  by  us.  (3)  But 
as  this  is  rather  labored  it  is  simpler  to  take 
'grace'  here  as  meaning  "gratitude,"  not- 
withstanding the  article,  which  is  emphatic — 
the  gratitude  which  is  appropriate,  which  we 
ought  to  have,  etc.  The  word  frequently  has 
this  sense  in  the  New  Testament,  as  well  as  in 
classical  Greek,  and  seems  here  more  appro- 
priate to  the  context.  Some  hold  tliat  the  ex- 
pression 'in  your  hearts'  points  to  a  silent 
singing  of  the  grateful  heart  to  God  as  distin- 
guished from  the  mutual  edification  of  the 
openly  sung  'psalms,  hymns,  and  spiritual 
songs.'  But  this  seems  a  forced  and  unnatural 
sense  to  put  on  the  words.  While  we  teach 
each  other  in  the  'psalms  and  hymns  and  spir- 
itual songs,'  let  the  singing  of  them  be  at  the 
same  time  a  grateful  exercise  of  the  heart 
toward  God. 

17.  And  whatsoever  ye  do  in  word  or 
deed — a  very  general  exhortation,  all-inclu- 
sive. In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus — 
as  the  element  or  sphere  of  the  doing.  Notli- 
ing  unworthy  of  Christ  is  to  be  done,  nothing 
unfit  to  be  said  or  done  in  the  closest  associa- 
tion with  him,  but  everything  in  such  a  way 
that  the  holy  presence  and  character  of  Christ 
will  not  beoflfended.  Giving  thanks  to  God 
and  the  Father  through  him.  Much  bet- 
ter to  omit  the  'and,'  as  it  is  wanting  in  the 
Greek.  Christ  is  Mediator  of  God's  grace  to 
us  and  of  our  acceptable  worship  to  God. 

3  :  18-4  :  1.  Domestic  Duties.— Compare 
the  similar  passages  in  Eph.  5  :  22-6 :  9,  where 
the  discussion  is  more  extended;  1  Tim.  6  :  1, 
2;  Titus  2  :  1-10;  1  Peter  2  :  18-3  :  7.  It  is 
natural  that,  after  the  general  exhortation  of 
ver.  12  and  following,  Paul  should  more  espe- 
cially emphasize  Christian  duty  in  the  import- 
ant relations  of  the  household. 

18.  Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your 
own  husbands  (or,  better,  as  in  the  Revision, 


iWestcott  and   Hort,  Tischendorf,  Li ght foot,  Meyer- '  So  also  tw  flew  ^"  to  God"),  instead  of  T<p  (cwpt'<}>  ("  to  the 
Franke  all  have  rai?  KapSi'ais,  'hearts,'  instead  of  sin-  j  Lord"), 
gular  '  heart,'  upon  decisive  authority  :  X  A  B  C  D.etc.  j 


Ch.  III.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


49 


19  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  and  be  not  bitter  against 
them. 

20  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  all  things  :  for  this 
is  well  pleasing  uuto  the  Lord. 

21  Fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  anger,  lest 
they  be  discouraged. 

21  Servants,  obey  In  all  things  your  masters  according 
to  the  flesh ;  not  with  eyeservice,  as  menpleasers ;  but 
in  singleness  of  heart,  fearing  God : 


19  fitting   in  the  Lord.    Husbands,  love  your  wives 

20  and  be  not  bitter  against  them.  Children,  obey 
yojr  parents  in  all  things,  for  this  is  well-pleasing 

21  in  the  Lord.     Fathers,  provoke  not  your  children, 

22  that  they  be  not  discouraged.  'Servants,  obey  in 
all  things  them  that  are  your  -masters  according  to 
the  flesh;  not  with  eyeservice,  as  menpleasers,  but 


1  Gr.  hondser 


he  in  subjection  to  your  husbands).  The  best 
authorities  omit  'own'  before  'husbands.' 
The  limits  of  a  wife's  becoming  subjection  to 
iter  husband  are  not  laid  down,  but  the  thing 
itself  is  clearly  taught  here,  as  elsewhere,  by 
Paul.  Did  he  foresee  that  abuse  would  be 
made  of  the  blessings  brought  to  woman  by 
the  gospel  ?  Were  such  abuses  even  then  be- 
ginning to  appear?  And  is  that  why  he  ad- 
dresses himself^?-s<  to  wives,  although  giving 
to  the  husband  the  first  place  in  the  home? 
As  is  fitting  in  the  Lord.  Christianity 
teaches,  and  is  in  so  far  committed  to  what  is 
fitting  in  this  respect.  The  unfit  is  unchris- 
tian. Literally,  the  expression  is,  "as  was 
fitting,"  and  the  use  of  the  imperfect  tense 
has  been  variouslj'-  explained.  It  is  probably 
best  to  say,  after  Meyer,  that  it  expresses  what 
is  a  general  truth,  but  is  only  imperfectly  real- 
ized as  a  fact  in  the  present. 

19.  Husbands,  love  your  wives— the  ap- 
propriate and  beautiful  counterpart  of  a  wife's 
due  submission.  Be  not  bitter  against 
them— that  is,  hasty,  quarrelsome.  Ever  wise 
and  needed  admonition ! 

20.  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  all 
things.  This  supposes  that  the  parents  are 
worthy  of  obedience,  and  their  commands  are 
not  contrary  to  God's  commands.  So  there 
are  conceivable  cases  when  a  child  would  be 
justifiable  in  disobedience,  but  the  general 
rule  is  explicit  and  urgent,  and  Christian  par- 
ents should  carefully  see  to  its  enforcement. 
For  this  is  well  pleasing  unto  (or,  m>)  the 
Lord— in  that  sphere  of  duties  and  proprieties 
of  which  the  Lord  is  the  centre  and  sum  and 
life.     Christianity  sanctifies  this  relation  also. 

21.  Fathers,  provoke  not  your  children 
to  anger.  Do  not  tantalize  them  with  petty 
exactions  and  wanton  tyranny.  Lest  they 
be  discouraged.    How  expressive!    A  child 


is  easily  disheartened  by  cruelty,  or  even  a 
lack  of  sympathy.     A  valuable  hint. 

22.  Servants,  obey   in  all   things  your 
masters  according  to  the  flesh.    Slavery 
being  then  an  existing  institution,  the  apostle 
gives  precepts  suitable  to  its  proper  regula- 
tion.    There  are  Christian  duties  growing  out 
of  the   relations   on  both  sides.      It  is   note- 
worthy that  more  is  said  here  to  servants  than 
to  the  others.     This  is  probably  due  in  part  to 
the  fact  that  many  of  this  unhappy'  class  were 
found  among  the  early  converts  to  Christian- 
ity, and  they  were  often  depraved  and  wicked; 
and  partly  also  to  the  case  of  Onesimus  which 
was  then  fresh  in  the  apostle's  mind.     This 
man  had  wronged  his  master,  Philemon,  and 
fled  to  Rome,  where  he  had  met  with  Paul 
and  was  converted  to  Christ,  and  was  then 
caused  by  the  apostle  to  return  and  submit 
himself  to  his  master.  See  the  Epistle  to  Phil- 
emon,  which    was   probably   sent  along  with 
this  letter.     Of  course,  as  in  the  case  of  chil- 
dren, there  are  supposable  limits  to  the  obe- 
dience even  of  a  slave,  and  they  are  reminded 
that  the  relation   itself  is  'according  to  the 
flesh.'     Not    Avith   eyeservice— service  that 
must  be  watched  to  see  that  it  is  done  at  all, 
or  properly  done.     Some  authorities  give  the 
word  in  the  plural,  "  eyeservices,"   and  this 
would  be  expressive  of  the  various  single  acts 
of  such   service.     As    menpleasers  —  solely 
desirous  of  pleasing  men   without  any  refer- 
ence  to   the   right   or   wrong  of  the  matters 
themselves.     But  in  singleness  of  heart — 
without  the  double  dealing  involved  in  mere 
'eyeservice'  for  pleasing.    Fearing  God  (or, 
the  Lord") — looking  ultimately  beyond    the 
earthly  relation  to  the  Lord,  in  fear  of  doing 
what  is  wrong  in  his  sight.     Crimes,  though 
often  caused  by  injustice,  are  not  excused  by 
hatred. 


iVVestcott  and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  Lightfoot  have 
iv  Kvpiio  ('in  the  Lord'),  instead  of  simply  tu  Kvpito 
('to  the  Lord')  on  decisive  authority. 

*  Question  whether  to  read    o^|,ea\^xoSovf^ialt    ('  eye- 


services,'  plural),  or  ia  (singular).  Preference  is  rather 
for  plural  form.  Westcottand  Hort,  Teschendorf,  Light- 
foot  have  t'ov  Kvpiov  ('the  Lord'),  instead  of  rhv  Otov 
('  God  '),  on  decisive  authority. 


50 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  III. 


23  And  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily,  as  to  the 
Lord,  and  not  unto  men  ; 

24  Kuowing  that  of  the  Lord  ye  shall  receive  the 
reward  of  the  inheritance  :  for  ye  serve  the  Lord  Christ. 

25  But  he  that  doeth  wrong  shall  receive  for  the 
wrong  which  he  hath  done :  and  there  is  no  respect  of 
pel  sons. 


23  in  singleness  of  heart,  fearing  the  Lord :  whatsoever 
ye   do,  work  >  heartily,  as  unto  the  Lord,  and   not 

24  unto  men  ;  knowing  that  from  the  Lord  ye  shall  re- 
ceive the  recompense  of  the  inheritance :    ye  serve 

25  the  Lord  Christ.  For  he  that  doeth  wrong  shall 
2 receive  again  for  the  wrong  that  he  hath  done: 
and  there  is  no  respect  of  persons. 


1  Or.  from  the  soul 2  Gr.  receive  again  the  wrong. 


23.  And  whatsover  ye  do,  etc.  The  same 
thought  put  in  different  words.  All  the  ser- 
vice, even  of  a  slave,  should  be  dutifully  and 
faithfully  done,  from  the  heart,  not  by  exter- 
nal compulsion,  with  a  view  to  what  the  Lord 
thinks  of  it,  and  not  only  men. 

24.  Knowing  that  of  the  Lord  ye  shall 
receive  the  reward  of  the  inheritance. 
Genitive  of  apposition,  same  as  saying  "the 
reward  which  is  the  inheritance."  Kich  re- 
ward, indeed,  the  inheritance  of  God"s  chil- 
dren! Slaves  by  earthly  law,  but  freemen  in 
Christ,  and  so  "children  of  God  ''  and  "joint 
heirs  with  Christ."  Sometimes,  but  very 
rarely,  were  slaves  made  heirs  of  their  mas- 
ters; seldom  enough  and  often  enough  to  give 
point  to  this  expression.  Such  language  ac- 
cordingly must  have  had  great  comfort  for 
the  unfortunate  class  to  whom  it  was  addressed. 
Gibbon  adduces  as  one  of  the  causes  of  the 
rapid  spread  of  Christianity  in  early  times  the 
hopes  it  held  out,  and  the  blessings  it  brought, 
to  the  slaves.  And  why  not,  pray?  Does 
not  that  religion  deserve  to  spread  that  brings 
blessing  and  offers  hope  to  the  lowest  as  well 
as  the  highest  of  mankind?  The  systems  of 
philosophy  do  not  so  much.  Fori  ye  serve 
the  Lord  Christ.  This  is  your  real  bondage, 
you  belong  to  Christ  by  the  purchase  of  his 
blood,  and  the  right  of  almighty  sovereignty. 
Or  it  may  be  imperative:  "Serve  the  Lord 
Christ."  Let  your  service  range  higher  than 
your  earthly  masters,  and  be  directed  to 
Christ.  It  is  hard  to  decide  with  any  posi- 
tiveness  of  conviction,  but  the  indicative  is 
rather  preferable. 

25.  But— rather,  /or.*  'For,'  as  a  conse- 
quence of  your  service  to  Christ,  not  as  a 
consequence  directly  of  his  Lordship,  though 
it  may  be  that.  Yet  tlie  thought  rather  is  that 
true  service  to  Christ  (see  Matt.  25  :  31-46)  is 
the  criterion  of  merit.     In  the  rewards  and 


punishments  of  the  Great  Day  no  mistakes 
will  be  made.     For  he  that  doeth  wrong. 

The  question  arises  whether  the  wrong  doer  is 
the  master,  or  the  slave,  or  either.  Lightfoot 
takes  it  that  both  may  be  intended ;  the  wrong 
doer,  whether  master  or  slave,  shall  receive 
his  due  punishment.  This  is  very  likely 
in  itself,  and  is  ably  justified  by  Lightfoot. 
Meyer,  on  the  other  hand,  is  very  decidedly 
of  the  opinion  that  the  unjust  master  is  meant, 
by  way  of  encouraging  the  slave.  The  slave 
must  be  faithful  and  good  in  his  own  place, 
for  the  Lord  will  see  that  the  unjust  master  is 
punished.  Others  take  it  that  Paul  means 
here  to  warn  the  eye-serving,  man-pleasing 
slave  that  if  he  defrauds  his  master  he  will 
surely  be  punished  for  his  sin ;  his  condition 
will  not  justify  crime.  Either  way  gives  good 
sense.  But  I  see  no  good  reason  against  in- 
cluding both  senses,  as  Lightfoot  does.  Shall 
receive  for  the  wrong  which  he  hath 
done — literally,  "shall  receive  the  wrong"  ; 
that  is,  in  its  appropriate  penalty  the  wrong 
itself  will  come  back  upon  the  wrong  doer. 
How  often  demonstrated  even  in  the  judg- 
ments of  time!  And  there  is  no  respect 
of  persons.  God  will  not  be  more  lenient  in 
judging  a  slave  because  he  is  a  slave  than  in 
judging  a  master  because  he  is  a  master.  God 
will  not  show  partiality  because  of  these 
earthly  distinctions.  The  sentiment  applies 
whichever  view  of  the  preceding  phrase  be 
taken. 

Ch.  4  :  1.  This  is  one  of  several  places 
where  the  division  of  chapters  in  our  Bibles 
is  exceedingly  unfortunate.  The  intelligent 
reader  is,  of  course,  aware  that  the  chapter 
and  verse  divisions  in  our  copies  of  the  Script- 
ure are  not  the  work  of  the  inspired  writers 
themselves,  but  were  introduced  gradually  for 
convenience  of  reference  and  comparison,  and 
were  received  and  fixed  as  they  stand  at  pres- 


>  K  A  B  C  D  *  E  17 :  47.  7L  ;  Vulgate,  Coptic,  Arabic  ; 
Euthalius,  Pelagius,  followed  by  best  editors  omit  yap 
('  for ')  before  rv  xvpiif. 


2  The  best  authorities  all  have  yap  ('  for '),  instead  of 
6e  ('but'). 


Ch.  IV.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


51 


CHAPTEK  IV. 


MASTERS,  give  unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just 
and  equal ;  knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in 
heaven. 


1  1  Masters,  render  unto  your  2 servants  that  which  is 
just  and  3  equal ;  knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master 
in  heaven. 


I  Gr.  lords 2  Gr.  bondservants 3  Or.  equality. 


ent — the  chapters  just  before  and  the  verses 
probably  after,  the  invention  of  printing. 
They  have  nothing  but  the  authority  of  con- 
venience and  custom  to  commend  them.  It 
is  surprising  that  any  one  who  could  read 
should  have  thought  it  proper  to  make  a  divis- 
ion here. 

Masters.  How  beautifully  does  the  apostle 
turn  to  these  now,  with  the  duties  appropriate 
to  their  station  !  Give  unto  your  servants 
that  which  is  just.  'Give,'  or,  better,  ren- 
der. Giving  is  not  in  question  ;  it  is  the  ren- 
dering of  justice.  Even  a  slave  has  his  rights 
before  God  and  man,  and  he  must  be  treated 
justly.  This  was  new  doctrine  in  that  day. 
And  equal — literally,  as  margin  of  the  Ke- 
vised  Version,  "  and  equality."  In  the  matter 
of  justice  and  right,  put  them  upon  tlie  same 
footing  as  any  one  else;  for  justice  and  right 
must  be  done  for  tlieir  own  sake — there  must 
be  no  respect  of  persons.  Meyer  prefers  this 
view,  interpreting  the  'equality'  to  refer  to 
moral  and  spiritual  matters,  and  not  to  any 
subversion  of  the  relations  of  slaves,  or  the 
overthrow  of  the  social  order.  Lightfoot  and 
Ellicott,  however,  prefer  to  render  the  word 
"  equity,"  "  do  unto  your  servants  that  which 
is  just,  and  equity  ";  for  the  word  (Ictotijs)  has 
that  meaning  sometimes,  and  the  context 
would  seem  to  favor  such  an  interpretation 
here.  But  it  seems  to  me  it  would  be  rather 
tautological,  as  well  as  awkward,  to  say  "that 
which  is  just,  and  equity  "  ;  so  I  prefer  '  equal- 
ity,' understanding  it,  as  Meyer  does,  of  moral 
and  spiritual  matters,  which  are  here  under 
consideration.  The  preceding  advice  to  the 
slaves,  as  well  as  his  treatment  of  Onesimus, 
shows  that  Paul  did  not  mean  'equality'  in 
any  socialistic  or  revolutionary  sense.  Know- 
ing that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven. 
If  only  all  earthly  masters  were  like  him,  how 
different  all  things  might  be  !  So  they  who 
are  masters  must  remember  their  own  Heav- 
enly Master,  who  will  do  equal  and  exact 
justice  to  all,  certainly  including  those  who 
abused  the  earthly  relation  by  injustice  and 
oppression. 


HOMILETICAL   SUGGESTIONS. 

Ver.  1 :  1.  Condition — if  truly  a  believer. 
2.  Duty — seeking  heavenly  things.  3.  En- 
couragement— Christ  seated  in  power.  Ver. 
2:1.  Thoughtful  consideration  of  heavenly, 
rather  than  earthly,  things.  2.  There  is  great 
need  of  it.  3.  Great  reasons  for  it.  4.  Great 
blessing  in  it.  Ver.  3:  ].  Complete  separ- 
ation, as  by  death,  from  worldly  things.  2. 
New  life  in  Christ  stored  up;  not  yet  in  full 
view.  Ver.  4:  1.  Christ  the  life.  2.  Christ 
manifested.  3.  'Ye  also.'  Ver.  3  :  The  only 
right  thing  to  do  with  some  things  is  to  kill 
them. — Covetousness :  1.  Its  company.  2.  Its 
character.  Ver.  G :  1.  God  has  wrath.  2. 
His  wrath  cometh,  now  and  hereafter.  3.  The 
cause  of  his  wrath.  4.  The  objects  of  his 
wrath.  Ver.  8  :  Emphasis  of  a  change— put- 
ting off  anger,  and  all  the  other  evil  things. 
Always  in  order  thus  to  emphasize  one's  con- 
version. Ver.  9  :  Truthfulness  between  man 
and  man  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  new 
life.  A  much-needed  lesson  to-day  in  society, 
in  trade,  in  politics.  Ver.  10:  The  new  man 
is  renewed  man.  The  renewed  man  is  intel- 
lectual man.  The  intellectual  man,  so  re- 
newed, is  man  in  the  image  of  his  Creator. 
Ver.  11:  Human  distinctions:  1.  How  they 
arose.  2.  Why  they  continued  to  exist.  3. 
In  what  sense  they  are  to  be  obliterated — not 
all  of  them,  in  fact,  for  that  could  not  be ;  but 
in  their  abuses  and  evils.  4.  How  they  are  to 
be  thus  done  away — not  by  anarchj'  and  blood- 
shed on  one  side,  nor  by  pride  and  oppression 
on  the  other  ;  but  bj'  the  prevalence  of  Chris- 
tian principles,  by  the  indwelling  and  over- 
ruling power  of  the  Christ.  The  supremacy 
of  Christ: — 1.  The  sum  of  alWAwj^rs.  2.  The 
power  for  good  in  all  men.  Ver.  12,  13 :  1. 
The  Christian's  standing  with  God  —  elect, 
holy,  beloved.  2.  The  Christian's  corre- 
sponding attitude  toward  men — compassion, 
kindness,  etc.  Ver.  14 :  The  perfection  of 
love  as  the  bond  uniting  Christians.  Ver.  15: 
The  ruling  power  of  peace!  Ver.  16  a  :  Com- 
plete application  of  Christ's  teaching  is  greater 
wisdom  in  action.    Ver.  16  6  :  The  right  kind 


52 


C0L0SSIAN3. 


[Ch.  IV. 


2  Continue  in  prayer,  and  watch  iu  the  same  with 
thauksgiviug; 

3  Withal  praying  also  for  us,  that  God  would  open 
unto  us  a  d(jor  of  utterance,  to  speak  the  uiystery  of 
Christ,  for  which  I  am  also  in  bonds  : 

4  That  I  may  make  it  manifest,  as  I  ought  to  speak. 

5  Walk  in  wisdom  toward  them  that  are  without,  re- 
deeming the  time. 

6  Let  your  speech  be  always  with  grace,  seasoned 
with  §alt,  that  ye  may  know  how  ye  ought  to  answer 
every  man. 


2  Continue  stedfastly  in  prayer,    watching  therein 

3  with  thanksgiving;  withal  praying  for  us  also,  that 
God  may  ojien  uuio  us  a  door  for  the  word,  to  speak 
the    mystery  of  Christ    for    which    I   am   also    in 

4  bonds;  that  I  may  make  it  manifest,  as  I  ought  lo 

5  speak.     Walk    in    wisdom    toward    them   that  are 

6  without,  1  redeeming  the  time.  Let  your  speech 
be  always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  that 
ye  may  know  how  ye  ought  to  answer  each  one. 


1  Gr.  buying  up  the  opportunity. 


of  churoh  music:  1  That  which  promotes  mu- 
tual edification.  2.  That  which  has  a  dis- 
tinctly religious  character.  3.  That  which  is 
acceptable  worship  to  God.  Ver.  17  :  Broad- 
est of  all  precepts,  as  widely  reaching  as  pos- 
sible, capable  of  universal  application,  cov- 
ering all  "doubtful  cases,"  including  all 
wrong  things  not  specially  singled  out  for 
Scriptural  condemnation !  Do  only  those 
things  that  are  :  1.  In  harmony  with  the  pure 
name  of  Christ.  2.  That  we  can  praise  God 
in  doing.  Ver.  18-4  :  1  :  Series  of  discourses 
on  the  cardinal  domestic  duties  in  the  light  of 
the  gOspel;  or  one  discourse  dealing  with  all  four 
at  once  would  be  useful.  Ver.  23:  May  have 
a  useful  application  to  others  besides  slaves. 
Ver.  24,  25  :  The  final  test  is  not  station,  but 
action.  Ch.  4:1:  Tiiougli  primarily  written 
for  masters  who  owned  their  servants,  it  has 
also  appropriate  application  to  employers,  and 
needs  to  be  heeded  by  all  who  purchase,  as 
well  as  compel,  the  services  of  others. 


Ch.  4:1  properly  belongs  at  the  end  of  the 
last  chapter.     See  above. 
2-6.  Various  Exhortations. 

2.  Continue  in  prayer.  The  Kevised  Ver- 
sion inserts  "stedfastly,"  not  because  of  anj' 
word  found  in  other  texts,  but  only  because 
the  notion  of  perseverance  is  involved  in  the 
word  rendered  'continue  '(TrpotncapTepeiTe). 
And  Avatch  in  the  same — more  literally,  the 
Revised  Version,  "  watching  therein."  Com- 
pare Mark  14:38.  "Keep  j'our  hearts  and 
minds  awake  while  i)raying."  (Lightfoot. ) 
With  thanksgiving.  This  must  ever  be  an 
element  of  true  prayer,  and  is  often  so  urged 
by  the  apostle. 

3.  4.  Withal  praying  also  for  us.  He 
asks  for  these  prayers  now  on  behalf  of  him- 
self and  his  co-laborers  in  the  gospel.  That 
God  would  open  unto  us  a  do6r  of  ut- 


terance— literally,  "a  door  of  the  word." 
Genitive  of  the  object,  and  therefore  rightly 
given  in  Revised  Version,  "a  door  for  the 
word;"  that  is,  enlarged  opportunity  for 
preaching  the  gospel.  Compare  1  Cor.  16  :  9. 
To  speak  the  mystery  of  Christ — that  is, 
the  revelation  of  God  in  Christ,  the  gospel. 
See  note  on  1  :  26.  Ellicott  remarks  that  the 
genitive  is  here  that  of  the  subject,  it  is  "  the 
m\^stery  of  which  Christ  is  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance." This  is  probably  correct,  though 
others  put  slightly  differing  constructions  upon 
it,  but  the  same  general  sense.  For  which 
(that  is,  the  '  mystery,'  or  the  whole  notion  of 
speaking  the  m^-stery)  I  am  also  in  bonds. 
A  special  personal  reference.  Paul  was  then 
a  prisoner  at  Rome  (not  Cesarea  ;  see  the  "  In- 
troduction ")  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel,  having 
been  sent  thither  b3'  Festus  as  related  in  the 
closing  chapters  of  the  Acts.  That  I  may 
make  it  manifest — that  is,  the  'mystery.'  It 
must  not  remain  a  '  mystery '  in  the  nar- 
rower sense.  As  I  ought  to  speak.  For 
the  force  of  this  'ought,'  compare  the  fol- 
lowing passages:  Jer.  20:  9;  Matt.  10:27; 
Acts  9  :  15,  and  22  :  21 ;  J  Cor.  9  :  16;  2  Cor. 
4 :  13. 

5.  Walk  in  wisdom  toward  them  that 
are  without — that  is,  act  with  prudence  and 
tact  toward  those  who  are  not  believers.  Re- 
deeming the  time.  Compare  Eph.  5  :  IG. 
This  -)nay  mean  rescuing  the  time  from  idle 
uses  and  employing  it  for  spiritual  good  to 
others  ;  but  the  decidedly  preferable  meaning 
is  that  given  in  the  margin  of  the  Revised 
Version.  "Buying  up  the  opportunity" — 
that  is,  seizing  the  fitting  occasion  for  doing 
good  as  a  merchant  "buys  up"  commodities 
at  the  right  time  for  profit.  With  an  eye  to 
the  best  effect,  make  use  of  opportunities  for 
the  salvation  of  others,  especially  in  the  use  of 
speech,  as  the  following  verse  shows.  Let 
your  speech   be  always  with  grace — not 


Ch.  IV.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


53 


7  All  my  state  shall  Tychicus  declare  unto  you,  icho 
is  a  bsloved  brother,  aud  a  faithful  miulster  aud  fellow 
servant  in  the  Lord : 

8  Whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for  the  same  purpose, 
that  he  might  know  your  estate,  aud  comlbrt  your 
hearts ; 

9  With  Onesimus,  a  faithful  and  beloved  brother,  who 
is  one  of  you.  They  shall  make  known  unto  you  all 
things  which  are  done  here. 

10  Aristarchus  my  fellow  prisoner  saluteth  you,  and 
Marcus,  sister's  son  to  Barnabas,  (touching  whom  ye 
received  commandments:  if  he  come  unto  you,  receive 
him ; ) 


7  All  my  affairs  shall  Tychicus  make  known  unto 
you,  the  beloved  brother  and  faithful  minister  and 

8  fellow-servant  in  the  Lord:  whom  1  have  sent  unto 
you  for    this  very  purpose,  that  ye  may  know  our 

9  estate  and  that  lie  may  comfori  your  hearts ;  to- 
gether with  Onesimus,  the  faithful  and  beloved 
brother,  who  is  one  of  you.  They  shall  make  knowu 
unto  you  all  things  that  are  done  here. 

10  Aristarchus  my  fellow-prisoner  saluteth  you,  and 
Mark,  the  cousin  of  Barnabas  (touching  whom  ye 
received  commaudmeuis  :   if  he  come  unto  you,  re- 


here  the  divine  grace,  but  rather  "attractive- 
ness," giving  pleasure  to  those  who  hear. 
(See  note  on  3:  16.)  But  this,  of  course,  not 
at  the  expense  of  truth  or  faithfulness.  Sea- 
soned with  salt — having  force  and  char- 
acter; not  insipid,  but  pointed.  There  may 
be  reference  also  to  the  preservative  and  puri- 
fying power  of  salt.  Let  your  speech  be 
wiiolesome,  not  corruptive.  But  this  is  not  so 
natural  as  the  other.  It  is  scarcely  possible 
that  there  is  reference  to  wit;  though  'salt' 
is  often  used  in  that  sense  in  the  classics. 
That  ye  may  know,  etc.  Sound  speech,  ap- 
propriate to  different  characters  and  circum- 
stances, and  tending  to  spiritual  good,  requires 
mucli  wisdom. 
7-9.     Personal  Information. 

7.  All  my  state  (or,  affairs)  shall  Ty- 
chicus declare  (or,  make  known)  unto 
you.  Concerning  Tychicus,  see  Acts  20:4; 
Eph.  6  :  21;  2  Tim.  4  :  12;  Titus  3  :  12. 
He  appears  as  one  of  the  Asiatic  com- 
panions of  Paul  on  the  third  missionary 
journey,  whether  for  all,  or  for  only  a  part 
of  the  time,  we  cannot  say.  In  the  passage 
of  Ephesians  referred  to  he  is  spoken  of  in 
the  same  terms,  and  is  sent  upon  the  same 
mission  as  here.  From  what  appears  in  the 
notices  of  him  in  2  Timothy  and  Titus  we 
<ind  him  faithfully  tending  upon  the  last 
labors  of  the  aged  and  soon  to  be  martyred 
apostle.  Paul's  language  here  is  that  of  em- 
phatic encomium.  He  is  beloved  as  a  brother, 
and  faithful  as  a  personal  attendant  (Siaxofo?), 
and  a  fellow-servant,  or  co-laborer  (vvvSovXoi) 
in  the  work  of  the  Master. 

8.  Whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for  the 
same  (or,  this  very)  purpose,  that  he  might 


know  your  estate  and  comfort  your 
hearts.  The  Kevised  Version  reads:  "That 
ye  may  know  our  i  estate,  and  that  he  may 
comfort  your  hearts."  Paul  knew  that  they 
would  be  solicitous  about  him  and  thought- 
fully sends  them  information  and  comfort. 

9.  With  Onesimus — an  escaped  slave  of 
Philemon,  'who  had  been  converted  at  Rome 
under  Paul's  preaching  and  was  now  being  re- 
turned to  his  master,  bearing  the  letter  ad- 
dressed to  Philemon.  (See  Epistle  to  Phile- 
mon.) A  faithful  and  beloved  brother — 
though  an  escaped  slave  and  one  wln)  had  been 
wicked.  A  good  comment  on  3  :  11  and  4  :  1. 
Who  is  one  of  you.  From  this  it  appears 
that  Philemon  was  a  Colossian.  His  relation 
to  the  church  is  suggested  in  the  opening 
words  of  the  letter  addressed  to  him.  (See 
Phil.  1.)  They  shall  make  knoAvn  all 
things  that  are  done  here.  There  were 
many  details  concerning  himself,  his  work, 
and  the  general  state  of  affairs,  which  the 
Colossians  would  like  to  know,  but  which  it 
was  not  neces^sary  that  he  should  write. 

10-18.    Concluding  Salutations. 

10.  Aristarchus,  a  Thessalonian,  men- 
tioned as  a  companion  of  Paul's  work  and  suf- 
ferings in  Acts  19 :  29  ;  20 :  4  ;  27  :  2 ;  Philem.  24. 
On  the  expression  fellow-prisoner,  see  espe- 
cially Acts  27  :  2.  On  comparing  our  passage 
with  Philem.  23,  24,  it  is  noticed  that  while  here 
Aristarchus  is  called  "fellow-prisoner,"  Epa- 
phras  is  called  'fellow-servant';  while  in  the 
Epistle  to  Philemon,  Epapliras  is  called  "  fel- 
low-prisoner" and  Aristarchus  is  simply  men- 
tioned among  the  "fellow-workers."  Meyer, 
and  others  after  him,  has  deduced  the  plaus- 
ible conjecture  that  these  men  in  turn  and  voir 


» We  have  here  an  interesting  variation.  The  ques- 
tion is  whether  to  read  tea  yvta  ri  n-epl  iiu-utv  ('  that  be 
might  know  your  estate')  or  Iva  yvioTe  rd  wepl  rjiiiav 
('  that  ye  might  know  our  estate').  The  latter  rcadnig 
is  found  in  A  B  D*  F  G  P  10.  17.  33.  35.37.  44.47.  7L  111 


116.  1:^7.,  d  e  g,  Armenian,  Ethiopic,  Euthalius,  Theo- 
doret,  .Terome.  It  is  preferred  accordingly  by  Westcott 
and  Hort,  Tischendorf,  Lightfoot,  Meyer-Franke,  and 
adopted  by  the  Revisers. 


54 


COLOSSIANS. 


[Ch.  IV. 


11  And  Jesus,  which  is  called  Justus,  who  are  of  the 
circumcision.  These  ouly  are  my  I'ellow  workers  uuto 
the  kingdom  of  Uod,  which  have  been  a  comfort  unto 
me. 

12  Epaphras,  who  is  one  of  you,  a  servant  of  Christ, 
sahiteth  you,  always  labouring  fervently  for  you  in 
prayers,  that  ye  may  stand  perfect  and  complete  in  all 
the  will  of  God. 


IJ  ceive  him),  and  Jesus,  who  is  called  Justus,  who 
are  of  the  circumcision :  these  only  uie  my  fellow- 
workers  unto  the  kingdom  of  (iod,   men  who  have 

12  been  a  comfort  unto  me.  Epaphras,  who  is  one  of 
you,  a  1  servant  of  Christ  Jesus,  saluleth  you,  always 
striving  for  you  in  his  prayers,  that  ye  may  stand 


1  6r.  bondservant. 


untanly  shared  the  apostle's  prison,  in  order 
to  be  with  him.  This  is  rather  a  large  infer- 
ence. Paul  may  have  called  any  one  of  his 
co-laborers  who  was  by  his  side  at  tlie  time  a 
'fellow-prisoner'  without  meaning  that  they 
were  actually  prisoners  such  as  himself,  or  had 
become  so  voluntarily'  for  his  sake.  Nor  would 
it  be  necessary  to  suppose  that  these  two  alone 
took  turns  in  the  conipanionship  and  service 
of  tlie  apostle  in  his  Roman  imprisonment. 
And  Marcus.  See  Acts  15 :  37 ;  2  Tim.  4  :  11. 
This  is  no  doubt  the  "John  Mark"  of  the 
Acts,  the  companion  of  Paul  and  Biirnabas  on 
their  tour,  who  caused  their  separation  by  his 
defection,  who  was  afterward  forgiven  by 
Paul,  who  later  became  the  companion  of 
Peter  (1  Peter  5  :  13),  and  the  author  of  the 
second  gospel.  Sister's  son  to  Barnabas. 
It  is  not  positive  whether  the  word  means 
"nephew"  (not  necessarily  'sister's  son'),  or 
"cousin,"  being  used  in  both  senses.  But 
Lightfoot  has  pretty  clearly  made  out  that 
"cousin"  is  the  right  rendering  here,  because 
"nephew"  seems  to  be  a  late  and  inaccurate 
usage.  This  relationship,  doubtless,  helps  to 
explain  Barnabas'  partiality  for  Mark  in  the 
memorable  conflict  with  Paul  regarding 
him.*  Tonching  whom  ye  received  com- 
niandments.  Whose?  and  what?  Com- 
mentators differ  in  their  answers  to  these  ques- 
tions. It  seems  altogether  most  likely  that  the 
'commandments'  were  Paul's  own,  and  that 
the  gist  of  them  is  found  in  the  following 
words:  If  lie  come  unto  you,  receive  him. 
But  this  is  not  certain.     They  may  have  re- 


ferred to  something  else.  "When,  by  whom, 
and  for  what  purpose  these  'commandments' 
had  been  sent  does  not  appear.  The  whole 
passage  goes  to  show  that  Paul  had  long  ceased 
to  feel  any  resentment  about  Mark's  defection 
years  ago,  and  did  not  wish  him  now  to  suffer 
in  the  esteem  of  others  on  that  account. 

11.  Jesus,  who  is  called  Justus,  is  not 
elsewhere  mentioned.  Who  are  of  the  cir- 
cumcision. Christian  Jews,  not  Judaistic 
Christians.  These  only  are  my  fellow 
workers.  It  is  hard  to  understand  the  'only' 
here.  The  interpretation  preferred  by  Meyer, 
Lightfoot,  and  others,  is  that  Paul  means  to 
say  that  these  three  were  the  only  ones  of  the 
more  prominent  Christinti  Jews  then  at  Rome, 
who  were  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  him, 
and  were  a  comfort  to  him  in  his  work.  From 
which  it  would  follow  that  the  others,  even 
Luke,  were  not  Jews.  Unto  the  kingdom 
of  God — that  is,  with  a  view  to  the  kingdom, 
workers,  together  with  him,  for  the  bringing 
in  of  the  kingdom.  Which  have  been  a 
comfort  to  me.  The  word  {Ttapriyopia)  comes 
fro7n  a  verb  meaning  first  "to  address,"  then 
"to  exhort,"  and  then  "to  console."  It  be- 
came in  the  adjective  form  a  medical  term  for 
soothing  remedies,  and  so  has  come  down  to 
us  as  paregoric  ! 

12.  Epaphras,  again.  See  note  on  1  :  7,  8. 
A  servant  of  Christ.   Revised  Version  reads 

!  "Christ  Jesus."'    Always   labouring   fer- 

!  vently  for  you  in  prayers — as  did  also  Paul 

himself.  See  1 :  3,  9,  29.  That  ye  may  standi 

perfect— that    is,    fully-matured    Christians. 


'  But  Barnabas  seems  to  have  had  a  generous  way  of 
befriending  those  whom  others  thought  to  be  wrong. 
He  had  acted  so  toward  Paul  himself  on  a  very  import- 
ant and  memorable  occasion.  Acts9:2r),  27.  This  may 
partly  explain  his  sympathy  with  Peter  at  Antioch 
(Ga  2  :  l.S),  when  "  Barnabas  also  was  carried  away 
with  their  dissimulation."  This  disposition  may  be  a 
weakness,  sometimes,  as  at  Antioch  ;  but  it  does  not 
appear  that  Barnabas  was  wrong  about  Mark.  Rather 
the  contrary. 

2  The  correct  text  adds  "IijaoO  ('  Jesus ')  after  Xpio-roO 


("  Christ ").  Decisive.  Westcott  and  Hort,  Tisehen- 
dorf,  Lightfoot,  Meyer-Frankeall  read  ara9i)T€  ('  stand,' 
literally,  "  be  made  to  stand,"  passive),  instead  of  o-j^re 
('stand,'  active),  with  a  few  but  weighty  authorities 
against  the  multitude.  Tliey  are  probably  correct,  but 
the  point  is  of  no  great  importance.  See  cxegetical 
note.  More  important  is  their  reading,  ircnAripo^opyiiMfvot. 
("completed"  or  "fully  assured")  for  the  common 
ireTrATjpwjuei'ot  ("  completed,"  "  fulfilled").  Former  is  the 
reading  of  X  A  B  C  D  *,  etc. 


Ch.  IV.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


55 


13  For  I  bear  him  record,  that  he  hath  a  great  zeal     13  perfect  and  fully  assured  in  all  the  will  of  (iod.    For 


for  you,  and  them  Ituxt  am  in  Laodicea,  and  theiu  in 
Hierapolis. 

14  Luke,  the  beloved  physician,  and  Deiuas,  greet  you. 

15  Salute  the  'orethren   which   are   in  Laodicea,  and 
Nymphas,  and  the  church  which  is  in  his  house. 

Iti  And  when  this  epistle  is  read  among  you,  cause 


I  bear  him  witness,  that  he  liulh  much  labour  Ibr 
you,   and   for  them   in   Laodicea,  and   for   ihem  iii 

14  Hierapolis.     Luke,  the  beloved  pby.sician,  and   De- 

15  mas  salute   you.    Salute   the   brethren   thai,  are   in 
Laodicea,  and  i  Nymphas,  and  the  church  that  is  iu 

16  2  their  house.    And    when  ^this  epistle  hath   been 


1  Tbe  Greek  may  represent  Nympha. 


.2  Some  ancieut  autboriiies  read  her 3  Gr.  (Ae. 


And  complete.*  Better  to  render,  as  in  the 
Kevised  Version,  "fully  assured";  that  is, 
full}'  convinced  in  your  minds  of  the  truth. 
It  m«.)/  mean  "fully  completed,"  but  the  Re- 
vised Version  rendering  is  better  usage.  In 
all  the  will  of  God— in  all  that  God  wills, 
his  revealed  truth,  his  declared  precepts.  This 
phrase  goes  either  with  "stand,"  and  denotes 
tlie  standing  ground  in  which  they  come  to 
maturity  and  full  confidence,  or  it  goes  with 
these  words  themselves  denoting  the  sphere 
(will  of  God)  in  which  they  arrive  at  ma- 
turity and  confidence.  It  matters  little; 
tlie  general  thought  is  the  same  in  either 
case. 

13.  For  I  bear  him  record  that  he  hath 
a  great  zeal  for  you  (the  Revised  Version 
gives,  "much  labor  ^^  for  you").  The  'labor' 
here  refers  more  likely  to  the  anxiety  and 
prayer  before  mentioned  (see  on  1  :  7,  8)  ; 
but  it  may  be  to  his  real  outward  exertions  on 
their  behalf.  And  for  them  that  are  in 
Laodicea.  Laodicea  was  iin  important  city 
in  the  Roman  province  of  Asia,  which  was 
onl}'  a  part  of  what  is  now  called  Asia  Minor, 
or  Turkey  in  Asia.  It  was  not  far  from  Co- 
losse.  No  doubt  the  church,  addressed  later 
in  the  Book  of  Revelation  as  one  of  the 
"seven,"  was  now  in  existence.  And  for 
them  in  Hierapolis— a  city  very  near  to 
Laodicea,  noted  for  its  warm  springs.  Thus 
the  three  cities  were  in  the  same  neighbor- 


hood,  and   the   Christians   residing  in   them 
naturally  had  much  in  common. 

14.  Luke,  the  beloved  physician— the 
author  of  the  third  gospel  and  of  the  Acts,  a 
faithful  attendant  upon  Paul.  See  also  2 
Tim.  4  :  10.  And  Demas.  He  afterward 
left  the  apostle  (see  2  Tim.  4  :  10),  and  has 
been  made  by  Bunyan  the  perpetual  type  of 
a  deserter  for  money.  From  the  fact  that  he 
is  mentioned  here  without  a  word  of  praise 
while  the  others  receive  commendation  in 
various  ways,  most  interpreters  have  inferred 
that  already  his  true  character  was  beginning 
to  appear,  and  that.  Paul  did  not  have  full 
confidence  in  him.  This  may  be  so,  but  Franke 
on  Meyer  wisely  cautions  against  too  sure  an 
inference.  See  Philem.  24,  where  he  is  men- 
tioned among  the  "fellow-workers." 

15.  Salute  the  brethren  which  are  in 
Laodicea— as  they  could  easily  do,  it  being 
so  near.  And  Nymphas  (or,  "Nympha"  2). 
Not  elsewhere  mentioned,  and  it  is  not  certain 
whether  the  person  was  a  man  or  woman,  as 
the  form  of  the  word  in  this  case  would  be  the 
same  for  both.  And  the  church  which  is 
in  his  (or,  hei-)  house.  I  think  "her"  is 
most  likely  correct,  and  so  that  we  should 
read  "Nympha"  above.  She  was  probably 
a  well-to-do  woman,  like  Lydia,  in  whose 
house  the  church  met.  Compare  Rom.  16  :  5; 
1  Cor.  16  :  9. 

16.  And  when  this  epistle  is  read  among 


1  See  note  2,  p.  54. 

2  Tischendorf,  Westeott  and  Hort,  Lightfoot,  Meyer- 
Franke,  after  X  A  B  C  P  SO.  Euthalius,  read  ndvov 
("toil"),  instead  of  ^ijAov  ('zeal').  Received  Text,  or 
other  variations  found  in  various  manuscripts. 

SHere  is  found  a  very  interesting  variation,  though 
the  point  is  of  not  much  importance.  It  is  whether  to 
take  Nymphas  as  a  man's  name,  and  read  'his  house,' 
or  as  a  woman's  name  with  "her  house,"  or  to  take 
Nymphas  and  '  the  brethren  '  together  and  read  "  their 
house."     The  authorities  stand : 

1.  avrCv  ("  their").  X  A  C  P  5.  9.  17.  2.3.  34.  39.  47.  73. 
Arabic,  Euthalius. 

2.  airoi)  ('  his').  D  E  F  G  K  L,  most  cursives,  Cop- 
tic, Gothic;  Chrysostom,  Theodoret,  Damasceueus,and 
others. 


3.  auTjj?  ("  her  ").     B.  67.** 

The  Latin  Versions  are  indecisive  as  between  the 
second  and  third  (ejus) ;  so  apparently  also  the  Syriac. 
It  is  curious  how  our  editors  divide.  Tischendorf,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  follows  X,  and  reads  the 
first;  Westeott  and  Hort,  as  also  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, follow  B,  and  read  the  third;  Lightfoot,  who 
usually  goes  with  Westeott  and  Hort  after  B,  this  time 
agrees  with  Tischendorf  after  K,  etc.;  while,  on  the 
contrary,  Meyer-Franke  follows  B  and  tbe  English 
editors.  It  does  not  seem  possible  to  decide  positively 
between  the  first  and  third.  We  must,  at  all  events, 
reject  the  second  as  a  palpable  correction.  My  own 
judgment  inclines  to  the  third,  as  it  appears  more  likely 
that  avTujv  would  have  grown  out  of  avrrif  than  vice 
versa.    But  see  Lightfoot  for  the  contrary  opinion. 


56 


COLOSSIANS. 


that  it  be  read  also  in  the  church  of  the  Laodiceans ; 
and  that  ye  likewise  read  the  epistle  from  Laodicea. 


[Ch.  IV. 


read  among  you,  cause  that  it  be  read  also  in  the 
church  of  the  Laodiceans;    and  that  ye  also  read 


you,  etc.  This  interchange  would  be  easy 
and  natural  from  tlie  nearness  of  the  two 
places.  Compare  the  injunction  regarding 
the  reading  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Thessalo- 
nians  in  1  Thess.  5  :  27.  It  is  possible  that  the 
objections  which  some  would  make  to  the  con- 
tents of  the  letters  made  these  earnest  exhor- 
tations necessary.  It  is  evident  tiiat  a  public 
reading  before  the  congregation  is  meant.  See 
also  1  Tim.  4  :  13,  which  may  include  the 
reading  of  the  apostolic  writings,  as  well  as 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament.  This  is 
a  suggestive  hint  as  to  the  importance  and 
authority  of  the  apostolic  writings  in  these 
earliest  times  The  epistle  from  Lao- 
dicea. Interesting  questions  are  brought 
up  by  this  phrase:  1.  What  is  meant  by 
the  peculiar  form  of  the  expression  ''''from 
Laodicea"?  Some  say  an  epistle  that  the 
Laodiceans  had  written  !  Others,  that  it  must 
be  one  that  some  other  author  had  written 
'from  Laodicea.'  Others,  that  it  was  one 
that  Paul  himself  had  written  on  some  pre- 
vious occasion  'from  Laodicea.'  But  these 
are  all  useless  attempts  to  explain  what  is 
clearly  evident  from  the  context:  that  it  was 
an  epistle  written  by  Paul  himself  and  ad- 
dressed (probably  at  the  same  time)  to  Lao- 
dicea, which  the  Colossians  were  to  procure 
from  Laodicea  that  it  might  also  be  read  in 
theip  church.  This  use  of  the  preposition 
'from'  (e/c)  is  clearly  paralleled  in  classical 
Greek  and  need  occasion  no  difficulty.  2.  If 
this  explanation  be  accepted,  the  question 
comes  up  at  once,  what  is  the  epistle  to  the 
Laodiceans?  It  is  not  extant  under  that  name. 
To  be  sure,  there  is  a  Latin  letter,  so-called, 
but  it  is  too  clearly  a  forgery,  made  up  of  quo- 
tations from  the  various  genuine  epistles  of 
Paul,  to  require  notice  here.  See  Lightfoot 
for  a  complete  and  able  discussion  of  the  mat- 
ter. Leaving  this  out,  we  are  still  concerned 
to  know  what  is  the  Epistle  to  Laodicea. 

Two  theories  deserve  notice:  (1)  That  Paul 
did  write  by  Tj^chicus  at  this  time  a  letter  to 
the  Laodicean  Church,  and  that  it  has  been 
lost.  The  fact  that  it  was  not  preserved  is  to 
be  accounted  for  by  the  supposition  that  it  was 
mainly  occupied  with  matters  of  local  and 
temporary  interest,  thus  forming  a  sort  of  sup- 


plement to  the  letter  to  the  Colossians,  mak- 
ing it  proper  that  both  should  be  read  at  both 
places,  but  not  necessary  that  it  should  come 
down  for  the  instruction  of  the  churches  in  all 
time.  But  this  labored  explanation  is  not  sat- 
isfactory. We  find  it  hard  to  see  how  a  letter 
regarded  by  the  apostle  himself  as  important, 
to  be  read  at  Colosse,  though  addressed  to  Lao- 
dicea— a  letter  no  doubt  (as  all  his  letters  are) 
full  of  valuable  doctrine  and  precept;  a  letter 
addressed  to  a  church  in  a  larger  and  more 
important  city  than  Colosse;  a  letter  of  Paul 
the  apostle,  all  whose  other  letters  to  churches 
appear  beyond  doubt  to  be  preserved  for  the 
church — we  find  it  hard  to  see  how  such  a 
letter  could  have  been  lost,  and  no  trace  or 
mention  of  it  recorded.  (2)  Preference  is  ac- 
cordingly given  to  the  theory  that  the  letter 
known  to  us  as  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  is 
the  one  here  meant.  The  reasons  iov  this  are: 
(a)  That  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  has  no 
personal  salutations  (whicii  is  very  remark- 
able when  we  recall  the  apostle's  long  stay 
and  wonderful  work  there),  and  thus  may 
have  been  a  circular  letter,  copies  of  whicii 
were  sent  to  various  churches,  {b)  That  this 
view  receives  strange  and  striking  confirma- 
tion from  the  decided  doubt  as  to  the  genuine- 
ness of  the  words  "in  Ephesus"  in  the  first 
verse  of  that  Epistle.  It  seems  probable  that 
the  place  was  left  a  blanic,  to  be  filled  \>y  the 
name  of  whatever  church  received  a  copy. 
(c)  That  the  similarity  of  thought  and  stjMe, 
and  yet  the  differences  due  to  circumstances; 
the  teaching  of  one  confirming  the  other, 
Colossians  having  a  more  special  and  local 
reference,  Ephesians  being  more  general  ;  and 
the  fact  that  both  were  sent  by  the  hands  of 
Tychicus  and  so  apparently  at  the  same  time 
— all  this  serves  to  confirm  the  view  adopted. 
These  are  the  only  two  views  that  are  worthy 
of  choosing  between.  The  question  cannot  be 
regarded  as  settled,  but  the  weight  of  proba- 
bility appears  to  me  to  be  against  the  theory 
of  a  lost  and  unheard-of  Epistle,  and  in  favor 
of  that  which  sees  in  the  remarkable  Epistle 
to  the  Ephesians  a  circular  letter  addressed  to 
several  churche*,  among  others  to  that  at 
Laodicea,  and  here  directed  to  be  read  also  at 
Colosse. 


Ch.  IV.] 


COLOSSIANS. 


57 


17  And  say  to  Archippus,  take  heed  to  the  ministry 
which  thou  h:ist  receivi-d  in  the  Lord,  Ihat  thou  tultil  it. 

18  The  salutation  by  the  hand  of  me  Paul.    Kemem- 
hcr  my  bonds.    Grace  be  with  you.    Amen. 


17  the  epistle  from  Laodicea.  And  say  to  Archippus, 
Take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  thou  hast  received 
in  the  Lord,  that  thou  fulfil  it. 

18  The  salutation  of  me  Paul  with  mine  own  band. 
Remember  my  bonds.    Grace  be  with  you. 


17.  And  say  to  Archippus — probably  one 
of  the  pastors  of  the  church  at  Colosse.  See 
Philem.  2.  Various  speculations  as  to  the 
person  and  work  of  Archippus  have  been  put 
forth,  but  notliing  further  is  even  probably 
established  than  what  has  been  said,  that  he 
was  a  pastor  at  Colosse.  It  may  be,  as  Bengel 
acutely  remarks,  that  the  exhortation  to  fidelity 
in  his  office  is  addressed  to  him  through  the 
church  for  the  sake  of  solemnity,  that  the 
church  should  be  witness  to  this  appeal.  It 
does  not  imply  censure,  as  some  have  sup- 
posed. Take  heed  to  the  ministry.  As  we 
might  say,  "  Look  well  to  the  work  of  a  pastor 
and  teacher."  Which  thou  hast  received 
in  the  L.ord — not  only  from  the  Lord,  as  a 
dut3'  laid  upon  the  recipient,  but  also  'in  the 
Lord,'  as  the  solemn  sphere  of  its  reception 
and  exercise.  It  is  to  the  Lord  that  he  must 
look  for  helpful  grace  in  the  performance  of 
his  work.  That  thou  fulfil  it— that  is,  fully 
perform  its  every  duty. 

18.  Compare  1  Cor.  16  :  21 ;  2  Thess.  3  :  17. 
The  salutation  by  the  hand  of  me  Paul 
— probably  written  in  large  and  well-known 
characters.  See  Gal.  6  :  11.  It  seems  that  he 
had  employed  an  amanuensis  for  the  rest,  but 
adds  this  last  with  his  own  hand,  both  as  a  seal 
of  authenticity  and  as  a  matter  of  affectionate 
interest,  which  they  might  well  appreciate. 
Remember  my  bonds — that  is,  especially  in 
jtrayer.     See  above,  ver.  3,  4.     A  pathetic  ap- 


peal, putting  a  personal  emphasis  on  all  he 
has  written.  Then  follows  the  benediction, 
but  in  the  shortest  form.  Grace  be  with 
you.  God's  favor  in  Christ  be  upon  you. 
The  amen  is  to  be  omitted.* 


HOMILETICAL    SUGGESTIONS. 

Ver.  2:  Three  characteristics  of  prayer: 
Continuance,  watchfulness,  and  thankfulness. 
Ver.  3:  Preacher's  need  of  the  prayers  of  his 
people  for  enlarged  opportunity — more  people 
to  preach  to,  and  more  power  in  preaching  to 
them.  Ver.' 4:  Clear  and  fearless  preaching 
always  needed.  Ver.  5  :  1.  The  outer  circle 
— community,  congregation,  home.  2.  Wise 
demeanor  toward  them — need,  power,  source 
of  this  wisdom.  3.  Use  of  opportunities  in 
the  work— the  phrase  and  its  application. 
Ver.  6  :  Three  elements  of  prudent  speech : 
agreeable,  pointed,  appropriate.  Ver.  7  :  Ty- 
chicus  an  example  of  those  suggestive  char- 
acters that  are  only  slightly  mentioned  in  the 
Scripture.  See  the  notes.  Ver.  8,  9  :  The 
instructive  mutual  solicitude  of  Paul  and  the 
Colossians.  Ver.  15  :  Little  known  of  these, 
but  that  little  is  much — a  church  in  the  house ! 
Ver.  17:  The  minister  and  his  ministry:  1. 
The  personal  element — 'say  to  Archippus.' 
2.  The  care  needed— 'take  heed.'  3.  Sacred- 
ness  of  the  trust — 'in  the  Lord.'  4.  Magni- 
tude of  the  work — 'that  thou  fulfil  it.' 


^'Afxriv  ('amen')  is  to  be  omitted  on  decisive   au- I  by  all  modern  critics.    It  was  evidently  added  by  later 
thority :  K  A  B  C,  etc.  The  postscript  it  rightly  omitted  I  hands,  and  appears  in  the  manuscripts  in  various  forms. 


/ 


Date  Due 


>'       -JK 


:>■ 


^ 


BS2341.A512V5 
Commentary  on  the  episue  lu 

p,,„,elonTheo,og.calSe.,nary-Spee;Ubrary^^ 


1    1012  00056  0617 


